The Nightmares of a Songbird
by LobsterMobster95
Summary: The Storm Hawks are forced to make an emergency landing at a strange Terra. What secrets does this new place hold? Will they ever be able to leave? And what is this girl hiding? And who is she hiding from? FinnXOC AerrowXPiper first fic!
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: FYI Storm Hawks and its characters and stuff do NOT belong to me in any way shape or form. This is also my very first fanfic so be gentle. So here's chapter one, enjoy! (Also Aerrow, Piper, and Finn are around 18. Junko is 19, and Stork is 21. And "no" Cyclonia has not been defeated in this story.)

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"Forever has it been since my dreams turned stale. Who am I? Why does this place still continuously mock me with its presence? I can only hope that one day they will return for me, release me of this prison and bring me home. I wonder if there is even a home to return to. Please, someone help me."

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"RADARR!!" Finn yelled at the furry creature whose teeth were locked firmly on a bottle of his new hair gel that he had bought at the previous terra. "YOU SORRY BAG OF FUR, THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU GOT THAT? I'M NEVER LETTING YOU NEAR MY ROOM AGAIN!!" Radarr continued to scurry through the hull of the ship, nearly colliding with equipment and the occasional Storm Hawk.

The rest of the team had grown accustom to this type of battle. Being inside the Condor for so long takes its toll on the nerves of the teenage heroes. Especially Finn, whose maturity level only reached that of an eight year old anyway. As Radarr continued to duck around the room, Finn gave in, and let a sigh escape his lips before sitting down next to his commander and best friend. "Aerrow I swear to all that is good in the Atmos, if Radarr gets his sticky little paws on any more of my things I will throw him into the wastelands."

Aerrow only let out a small laugh at the look on the frustrated boys face. "You know he's only kidding Finn. He gets just as bored as you do when we are stuck in the Condor for so long. " Aerrow gave Finn's shoulder a sympathetic pat, a wide grin still noticeable on his face.

"Well then why can't we go to Tropica, or Terra Neon? Or just someplace that isn't the inside of the Condor?" Finn answered back, the frustration in his voice very noticeable at this point. "Why do we all have to stay cooped up in here when there's nothing fun to do?"

"Because, we're going to Amazonia so I can study some new crystal deposits that Harrier said his team came across down there." Piper, their resident crystal specialist, said as she came walking out into the bridge and became visible to the two boys on the sofa. Aerrow quickly averted his gaze from Finn onto Piper, giving her a small smile as she walked past them and towards the helm to give Stork the coordinates for Terra Amazonia

Finn rolled his eyes at his friends and quietly mumbled an inaudible sentence under his breath, presumably directed at Aerrow. Finn jumped slightly as Radarr hopped up on the sofa next to him and dropped something into his lap. He gave a little snort as he stared at his slightly damp hair gel tube that had been returned to his possession and said "Thanks buddy, I forgive you." He then leaned over slightly and gave the fuzzy co-pilot a gentle pat on the head.

Finn suddenly remembered what Piper had just said and replied with "Why can't you just take your heliscooter to Amazonia and the rest of us can go to Tropica?" This seemed like a reasonable compromise to Finn but he knew that Aerrow would never go for it. He thought it was worth a shot though.

Aerrow stood and returned his gaze to Finn. "We are all going Finn, there's usually at least a dozen or so Cyclonians stationed on Amazonia so we might as well do a little recon while Piper looks for those deposits." Aerrow glanced over at Piper and she gave him an encouraging nod. "Besides, what could be more fun than taking down those Cyclonian morons?"

"I'd think that going surfing could be just as fun." Finn grumbled as he stood up to leave the room, it was getting late and he was exhausted, stupid Radarr made him use up all his energy. He excused himself, left the room and began making his way through the corridors towards his cabin. The door of Finn's room closed automatically behind him as he shuffled in and flopped onto his bed. He stared up at the array of posters that littered the ceiling. One had Harrier's face staring brightly back at him, he'd added a little mustache for good measure after their run in a few years ago. Another was a blown up photograph Finn himself had taken of the Rebel Ducks squadron during their last visit to terra Gale, which was when he learned that Dove was going to be getting married later that summer. Still another was a poster he'd found of his very own squad last time they had been in Atmosia. A street vendor had been selling all sorts of merchandise featuring the Storm Hawks.

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, and folded both hands behind his head. _"This is so lame, all we ever do is work to protect the Atmos, there's never any down time." _Finn never once regretted joining the storm hawks all those years ago, but it had never been walk in the park that was for sure. Finn could still remember that little red headed kid, about the age of seven, asking him to join his sky knight squadron as his wing man and sharpshooter. He had agreed almost immediately, he Aerrow, and Piper had all been orphaned at a very young age so there wasn't much they felt they had stick around for.

Aerrow's mom had been lost in a cyclonian raid when he was around six, and his dad of course had been killed when the Dark Ace had turned traitor and took down his entire squadron before retreating to Cyclonia two years before that. Piper's family was relatively the same story. Her dad had been part of an underground squadron that worked with sky knights in the area. He got caught in the cross fire between Cyclonians and Storm Hawks one day and the building he had been taking shelter in, collapsed on top of him. Her mom ended up getting killed during the same raid that Aerrow's mom died in. Finn's mom and dad had both died in that same battle as well.

It was this sad fact that brought these friends together to begin with. Finn met Aerrow and Radarr about a year after the raid and they had been inseparable ever since. They together met Piper shortly after, and built their hideaway on top of one of the many hills in the outskirts of Atmosia. Junko came along when he and a group of thugs tried to claim their sanctuary in the name of Cyclonia, Junko later had a change of heart and drove his old "friends" away and was offered a spot in their ever growing squadron. And Stork of course had come free with the discovery of one Condor.

Finn had gotten about two hours of sleep when a tremendous rapping could be heard at his door. He opened one bright blue eye and said irritably "Come in Junko." The door slid open and in came the kind-hearted Wallop himself.

"Hey Finn, sorry to wake you up but Aerrow needs us all to come to the bridge right away." Junko said, a sheepish smile played across his lips, he knew Finn was never one who enjoyed being jostled out of sleep and Junko hated being the messenger that had to put his best friend in a bad mood.

"Why didn't he just use the intercom?" Finn asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, it wasn't fun when Junko got upset, and Wallop tears take forever to clean up so he let it slide for the time being.

"He said that a whole bunch of electric stuff's going on the fritz and Stork couldn't get the message routed into your room, mine was the only room that got the signal. That's actually what he wants to talk to us about too, so let's go." Junko said as he held out a large hand so he could help Finn up.

Finn took Junko's hand and was lurched forward because as soon as Finn was "up" Junko released his hand and sent him flying forward toward the wall. Finn let out a small yell before he was caught around the gut by Junko, getting the wind knocked out of him in the process.

"Woops. Sorry about that buddy." Junko said as he released Finn and inched back a ways to give his friend some air. Finn waved his hand as a sign to Junko to go on without him and that he was okay. Junko obliged and vacated the room. Finn took a moment to regain his composure and give his hair a quick once-over in the mirror by the door. Once he decided his hair was sufficient he made his way back to the bridge, one hand still holding his sore gut.

When he entered the bridge Finn saw Junko leaning over the large table in the center of the room, Aerrow and Piper were also huddled around as well, he saw they were consulting Junko on the blueprints of the ship. Stork had flipped the auto pilot on and was watching the meeting from a "safe" distance mumbling something about the Condor crashing into the Wastelands and bringing the Storm Hawks to their doom. As Finn approached his team; Aerrow, Piper, and Junko all looked up for a moment and gave him a small nod of recognition before turning back to the blueprints and maps that were scattered around the table.

Finn joined the circle and gazed down and the diagrams that had been obviously scribbled in a hurry, most likely by Piper, for they didn't make a lick of sense to Finn. Aerrow looked up and saw that everyone was now present and cleared his throat slightly before saying "So what's been going on is that nearly all our Engine crystals have begun malfunctioning. Same goes for the Solaris crystals as well, Piper, Stork and I have been on the lookout for the possibility of a leecher on board, but so far, nothing has turned up."

Aerrow gave a nod to Piper so she could begin "I've deduced our position and there's a small refueling Terra not too far from here." She said as she pulled out a few of the maps she'd used in the process. "But the problem is, the crystals are dying fast and we need to do everything we can to keep them from dying prematurely. So Stork, you stay here and pilot the ship while we try to keep the crystals going." Piper finished and she and Aerrow began placing all the papers they'd been studying while trying to find a logical excuse to their engine trouble, back into a messy pile at the center of the table.

They all hurried down to the engine room, small emergency crystals in hand that could be used to replace the large ones for the time being. Piper scooted around, picking up all of the crystals that had given out completely and set them aside so more room could be made for replacements. Radarr was running the fading Solaris crystals up to the deck so they could start absorbing sunlight. The odd thing was however, as soon as a replacement was set into the engine, it would start to fade, and as soon as it was removed, it would begin to power up again. So for the next hour, the Storm Hawks were constantly placing and replacing crystals to keep the Condor from falling out of the sky and into the Wastelands below.

As the friends continued to move about the room, they heard Stork's voice boom out from the now functional intercom. "Terra in sight repeat, Terra in sight! We might not be doomed after all, at least… not yet." At that moment the engine room came alive with the weak cheers of the rest of the team.

"Great job everyone; we got here in one piece." Aerrow said, panting and clutching a stitch in his side that had developed from constantly running back and forth for a straight hour. Radarr let out a small chirp and promptly fell backwards onto the floor. Junko leaned against the wall, trying to take some of the strain of his throbbing legs. Finn and Piper both collapsed and sat down on the small staircase that led into the engine room, both leaning on the other for support so as not to completely fall over. Aerrow, trying to stay strong for the moral of the team, stayed standing. After a minute or so however, Piper made him sit down saying that he shouldn't strain himself.

After a few moments rest, the team made their way back up to the bridge to join Stork and help prepare for landing. Aerrow walked forward to the helm and placed a hand on Stork's shoulder as he leaned in to get a better look at the Terra. It was a bit larger than Terra Gale, with room for a refueling station, a diner, what looked to be an inn, and a few small residential homes scattered here and there. He hoped that they wouldn't be stranded here for long, but because of the uncommonness of their predicament, it was hard to tell just how long any repairs would take.

Aerrow and Finn took their skimmers out of the hanger so as to guide Stork. The carrier docks at the refueling station looked like a pretty tight fit and Stork didn't want to risk any unnecessary damages to the ship so the task of parking guide fell upon Aerrow and Finn.

"So where are we?" Finn asked Aerrow after they had successfully guided the Condor into port. Aerrow looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face "I don't really know Finn. Somewhere between Terra Vapos and Terra Amazonia I guess. Piper couldn't find a registered name, but we didn't exactly have enough time to go into great detail." Just then the Condor gave one final lurch as Stork shut her down for the time being.

"Is it just me or does this place kind of creep you out a little." Finn said as he quickly surveyed the area. From the air, the Terra gave off the illusion of a quaint, lively place to live but on ground level, something just seemed off. The town was completely baron, like a ghost town. The sign on the diner said "open" but it didn't seem like any part of the Terra was "open." Windows were covered with blinds, doors were shut, and not a soul could be seen anywhere.

"Yeah" Aerrow said as he began to take a look around as well "I'm just hoping that there'll be someone around to repair the ship. If not, then we could all be stuck here for a very long time." Just then, Aerrow looked over and spotted a figure in the distance, walking slowly towards the Condor.

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Well there you go everyone, the first chapter. Was that enough of a cliffy for ya? =) I'll try to get chapter two out as soon as I can so be on the lookout!!! And remember to R&R. Luvs ya'll bye.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Well here it is. I would have gotten this up days ago but I've been sick and I felt like I'd puke if I tryed to even look at the computer screen xp. And after I got better my sister got sick so I was helping to take care of her for a few days too. (being sick is gross!) And I just want to thank everyone who reviewed for the first chapter, you guys are really awsome and I really appreciate what you said =) LET THE STORY CONTINUE!!!!

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"I can hear their voices now. They seem so close. Will they be able to break this hold on me? I feel so weak, like I'm just a shell of what I used to be. Am I even alive anymore, or am I simply a restless spirit, aimlessly walking the same path over and over. Let the pain stop, all I want is for it all to end. Please help me."

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Aerrow had never been one to make assumptions right off the bat but something about this place wasn't right. He quickly circled around once more before bringing his skimmer down for a landing. He drove up towards the docks and parked protectively in front of the Condor. Piper stepped out of the ship mere moments later and gave Aerrow a small smile before noticing the apprehensive expression on his usually uplifting face. She took one glance around and understood immediately what was worrying him. The smile on her face was replaced with the same look of anxiety as Aerrow. She took a few steps forward and stood beside him as he continued to look out into the distance.

Finn drove up on his skimmer and parked up just behind Aerrow. Stork and Junko had also joined them as well. Junko's legs had begun shaking with fright as soon as he stepped onto the docks. Stork had peaked around the corner of the Condor's threshold and gave a weak sigh and said with a tremendous amount of certainty in his voice "We're all going to die."

Just then the figure that Finn and Aerrow had spotted from their skimmers became visible once again as it continued to stride closer and closer towards the Storm Hawks. Aerrow slid off his ride and stood in front of Piper, he knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself but, after all the near misses that she's had with Cyclonis over the years, he didn't want to take any chances. He hated worrying about her, whenever he thought there was a slight chance of her being in danger; he developed a painful knot in his stomach that wouldn't disappear until she was safely standing next to him, and would flash him a smile that could heal all his wounds.

After a quick moment of thought, Aerrow decided that they should make a good first impression. The Terra may turn out to be completely normal, and if so, they were going to need as much help as possible if they wanted to see the Condor flying again anytime soon. None the less, Aerrow's hand moved slightly closer towards his energy blades as he said "Um hello, our carrier's in need of a few repairs could you help us?"

The stranger's pace slowed as he approached and the teenagers could now make out his appearance, he seemed to be a young man in his mid twenties. His long chocolate brown hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that reached the middle of his back. The greenish gold shade of his eyes reminded Aerrow a great deal of Carver, which didn't thrill him a great deal for nearly all the memories he and his team had of Carver weren't very pleasant ones. The man was also a little on the tall side and seemed to be in very good physical shape.

The man took only a few steps more and then said "Repairs you say? I would be happy to help you young travelers. Let me be the first to welcome you all to Terra Marks. The man flashed them a friendly smile, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

The group let out a conjoined sigh of relief for the man seemed friendly enough. Aerrow let the hand that had been inching towards his energy blades fall back down and rest by his side. He left his place in front of Piper and walked forward to shake the man's hand.

As Aerrow approached, the man caught sight of his uniform; he glanced quickly at the rest of the team before his gaze became locked upon the Condor. "You're not the Storm Hawks are you?" He asked. Eyes fixed upon the symbol painted on the side of the Condor.

Aerrow stood before the man returning his smile with one of his own and held out his hand "At your service." He said. "My name is Aerrow this is Finn, Junko, Piper and Stork." Aerrow acknowledged each crew member in turn; each giving a small nod or a wave in greetings. The man looked positively delighted.

"It's an honor to have such well known protectors of the Atmos grace our humble Terra. My name is Croft. I am owner of that diner there." He pointed across the way "And the inn behind that. We also have some mechanics that I'm sure would be more than happy to repair your ship for you. In the meantime, would you all care for something to eat?" He motioned once more towards the diner.

It hadn't occurred to the Storm Hawks until just then how hungry they all were. It was now well past 8:00 in the morning and hardly anyone had gotten any sleep, if any at all, and jut to add insult to injury, for the past hour they had all had the pleasure of doing sprints around the engine room trying to keep the Condor airborne.

"I could go for some food." Finn said taking a few steps forward, a hand on his stomach in an attempt to stifle the angry growling it was generating.

"Great." Croft said "After you eat we can get you set up with a room at the inn, there's a large storm system that's heading our way so you probably shouldn't linger too long after your meal." With that Croft turned and began walking towards his diner

The Storm Haws followed, walking past some of the residential areas as they went. "If you don't mind my asking…" Aerrow said, quickening his pace slightly so as to catch up to Croft "Where is everybody? We haven't come across anyone else living here except for you."

Croft continued trudging towards the diner but slightly glanced back at Aerrow who was now only steps behind him. "Terra Marks has never been a popular destination to begin with, it's a refueling station and hardly anything more. There are few who actually take up residence here, we are also very famous for the violent weather that comes through on a regular basis. At the moment a particularly nasty looking system is moving in from the North, I would assume that at present, most residences are taking shelter."

Aerrow glanced up at the sky; he could barely spot the dark storm clouds approaching from over the horizon. The rest of the sky laid still and silent, the colors of the morning still clinging to life, but slowly becoming more and more intertwined with the solid blue of day. The calm before the storm no doubt, and judging by the level of calm that Aerrow could see, it was going to be one hell of a storm.

Croft walked forward and held open the door of the diner, allowing the Storm Hawks passage inside. Piper walked past him and into the restaurant, giving him a small nod of thanks but as she did she noticed a small dark blue crystal that hung from a silver chain around his neck. It was shaped much like the one that she wore and there was a faint glow that seemed to be radiating off of it.

"That's an interesting crystal." Piper said, looking at Croft. "It's a very unique color I don't think I've ever come across anything like it before. Do you know what it's called?" A look of fascination was now painted clear as day across Piper's face.

Croft glanced down at the crystal that hung from his neck. "Yes, a very dear friend of mine presented it to me as a gift many years ago. I don't really know myself the actual name of the thing; she just knew it was my favorite color, which is why she gave it to me. Are you very interested in the study of crystals Piper?" Croft glanced at her, curious to hear her answer.

"She's a very talented crystal specialist." Aerrow said as he approached the two, he couldn't help but sing her praises a little. "I would think she knows more about them than a lot of the members on the sky knight council." He continued, very confident in his response.

Croft laughed at the buoyancy Aerrow showed when he spoke about his teammate. Piper blushed slightly at Aerrow's adulation, but was thankful for it none the less. After the moment subsided, Croft reminded them of the storm and suggested they hurry and eat.

He led them all to a table and together, they gave their orders to a waiter, and moments later had their food delivered to them. As they sat, happily eating and discussing assorted topics Finn looked up, and what he saw transfixed him immediately. A young girl stood two tables away, picking up sullied plates and putting them into a large plastic tub she carried under her arm.

She looked to be about Finn's age, but, there was something off about her. She was thin, bone thin, and pale as the moon. Her hair so blond it could be easily mistaken for white, the tips of which were a shade of dark russet, and was pulled back in a high ponytail that flowed gracefully down her back. Her eyes; a shade of dark blue seemed deeper than the largest of oceans. But she looked so fragile it seemed as though she might shatter into a thousand pieces at the slightest touch.

Finn was captivated; this girl was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He was never exactly shy either, and had in fact, been labeled as the "Casanova" of his team on more than one occasion. There had been few girls who had ever actually been able to catch Finn's full attention. Dove had been one of them, when they had rescued her from Cyclonia all those years ago he had wanted desperately to be her one and only defender, she'd been a genuine person not like those fake type of girls that he often chased after, pursuing them was a mere hobby that was given birth from the boredom being stuck on the Condor so long can create.

It wasn't meant to be of course. Finn had been looking forward to seeing Dove again and he had been determined to tell her how he felt during their next trip to Terra Gale and hoped desperately that the feeling would be mutual. Instead, he and the rest of the team had the surprise of not only seeing Dove and Wren but also a young man who they learned was Dove's fiancé; she had met him while on a supply trip to Terra Rex. They were set to be married in two months; they had invited every member of the Storm Hawks squadron of course.

Finn had been left alone and brokenhearted, he wasn't always the confident, excitable guy that he was often recognized as. He had truly put himself in a new position for her and he'd fallen in love for the first time in his life, and before he even had a chance, it was gone. Finn had stayed locked in his cabin for three days, just staring at the photograph that Wren had given to the team as identification when the Dark Ace had kidnapped Dove and taken her to Cyclonia, and comparing it with the photo he had taken during their visit. Dove had a hand on Wren's shoulder both were smiling brilliantly and Dove's betrothed, Dent had an arm slung across her delicate shoulders.

In time, the wound closed and was simply replaced with a scar upon Finn's heart. He felt that in time, he could even begin to feel happy for Dove and Dent, her life is her life, and he just wasn't quick enough to cement his own place in it.

All of a sudden a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass brought Finn out of his daze. The girl, who had been his cause of his momentary loss of reality, was standing rigid above the shattered remains of a glass that she had been attempting to clear from a table. She looked as though she had seen the reincarnation of a loved one long since departed, an expression of great astonishment and pure fright. The girl gingerly set the tub with the remainder of the dishes down upon the table and sprinted out of the dining room and through a door behind the counter.

"Who was that?" Finn asked, not even bothering to look at Croft, but instead keep his eyes fixed upon the door though which this mysterious person had made her hasty exit.

Croft folded his hands and placed them under his chin, the expression on his face was unreadable to all at the table. "That was Silence, she's my little sister."

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Author- So what do you guys think? Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! And if I don't get sick again I'll get the next chapter up real soon. Luv you all lots!!


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: HAHA! I did not get sick again so I was able to get this chapter up a lot faster than before. Again I just want to thank all who have read and/or reviewed the first two chapters of "Nightmares of a Songbird" you guys are incredible and I love you so much!! So let chapter three begin!!!!

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"I can hear them, they've come for me at last, and I can come up from this hell that I've been trapped in. Let them remain safe; let their will's stay strong against any alluring siren call that may arise. Let me be saved at last."

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Finn looked astonished "That girl is your sister? But you look nothing alike." He was looking at Croft; the astonishment in his voice was as noticeable in his expression.

Piper, who had been sitting directly across from Finn, attempted to aim a sharp kick in his direction but ended up only clipping Finn, Stork got the bulk of it. He jumped in his seat from the sudden blow, stood up and said something about some kind of leach biting his leg, and went to wait for the rest of the group outside diner, hoping that the "leaches" wouldn't follow him outside.

Croft didn't seem to mind Finn's lack of subtly on the issue however "Well we're not blood relatives so to speak, but my parents took her in when she was just an infant. She was raised as my sister but was not born as such."

Aerrow looked over at the spot that Silence had so abruptly vacated just moments before. The waiter who had brought the group their food was on hands and knees sweeping up the glass fragments on the floor. Aerrow then looked back at Croft "Is she alright? I mean should you go and check to make sure she isn't hurt, she ran out kind of fast."

Croft only smiled and softly shook his head from side to side "Silence is a very dear girl, but she's always been rather delicate, she becomes ill sometimes and it always leaves her rather frazzled for a week or so until she regains full health. She's just very frail and easily broken, which is why she's never traveled away from this Terra after she was brought here."

"She's never left Terra Marks? But she has to be at least seventeen years old, that's a very long time to stay on one Terra." Aerrow said, there was a look of bewilderment on his face. For he, knew just how unbearable staying stationary for so long could be, and not only that but, Terra Marks wasn't exactly the size of Terra Atmosia, like Croft had said, it was barley passable as a refueling station.

"Yes I know, she in fact just turned eighteen last month, and all but two of those years she has spent on this Terra. I wish with all my heart that for at least one day, I could show her that there are other places in the Atmos besides Terra Marks." Croft lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes as if imagining all the places in the Atmos he could show his sister.

The moment of silence was interrupted when they heard the door of the diner fling open and a sopping Stork walked in, a look of utter annoyance on his face as he returned to his seat by Finn.

"So I take it you got rained on a little, huh Stork?" Aerrow said trying and failing to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Yeah, just a little." Stork replied, his voice livid.

The sound of the rain pounding upon the roof was now very audible to anyone still inside of the diner. The rain was continuous, leaving no breach of sound unfilled by the beat of the rain.

Croft swiftly rose to his feet "We need to get you all to the inn, this storm is hitting pretty hard and we'll all get trapped in here for the night if we don't leave soon. I'll make arrangements for your ship to be inspected in the morning, until then there isn't much we can do." Croft then hurried them all towards the door.

Stork then decided that the inn was most likely not protected against mindworms so he sprinted off in the direction of the Condor saying he would meet them for breakfast in the morning.

Croft had borrowed two umbrellas from the diner and gave them to the Strom Hawks. Finn and Junko shared one, as did Aerrow and Piper but all four were huddled closely together. Because of the suddenness of their landing on Terra Marks, the team had not had a chance to bring any spare cloths off of the Condor, leaving them shivering in their uniforms. Croft of course was dressed for the weather and simply pulled up the hood of is coat, shielding his head from the rain, and seemed content.

After a few moments scurrying along in the rain, the Storm Hawks were guided into the main lobby of Croft's inn. The design was nothing to be greatly admired a few assorted couches and chairs here and there, a small fireplace could be seen burning comfortably on the far side of the room, and of course there was a check in desk with slots behind that presumably held the keys to all the rooms.

Croft walked briskly towards the desk, quickly wrote something in a log book that was sitting ajar on top, and then reached to a room key. "We have a room set up on the top floor that we only rent out to sky knight squadrons, the elevator is just down that hall there." He said pointing to his right, then handed Aerrow the key. He thanked him before he began leading the team towards the area he had specified.

As the group walked silently through the lobby Finn looked around the room, he spotted a door just to the left of Croft's desk; he assumed this was the entrance to his room or office. Finn wasn't entirely sure if Croft lived here or in one of the small home's they had seen earlier. There were also a large set of double doors that were tightly locked, but at the moment, Finn didn't really care what was behind them. He had hardly gotten any sleep the previous night before and his grogginess was starting to catch up with him.

When the team stepped aboard the elevator a loud beeping sound momentarily cut through the sleepiness of the group.

"Sorry, sorry!" Junko said embarrassedly as he stepped out of the elevator, the beeping quickly subsided. "I'll wait for the next one." Junko said giving a wave to his teammates before the doors closed shielding them from view.

The three remaining Storm Hawks and Radarr were all leaning against each other for support as they rode up the elevator, the alarm that Junko had set off had injected an unneeded amount of adrenalin and now they had begun crashing worse than they had a few moments ago. When the doors opened the teenagers cautiously stepped out, trying with all their might not to bump into anything. They waited patiently for Junko to arrive before Aerrow, after a few shaky attempts, inserted the key into the lock and opened the door.

The room was very spacious; three doors led to three separate bedrooms each of which had two separate beds in them, along with a private bathroom and a dresser. There was also a small kitchen and living room in the suit as well. Finn and Junko shared a room and so did Aerrow and Radarr, Radarr being thrilled at having his own bed and there would be one extra since Stork had decided to sleep aboard the Condor. Aerrow had given Piper the liberty of having her own room; she was as pleased as Radarr at being able to have her own bathroom for the first time in about four years.

Without more than a few words said, the team retreated to their rooms and drifted into a well deserved sleep.

After hours of sleep, Finn awoke to a large booming sound coming from outside. It was pitch black out so he figured he must have slept for at least ten or so hours. He saw the distinct flash of lighting and heard another loud boom of thunder that followed no more than a few seconds later.

He let out a sigh and then pulled off the blanket that had been covering him before making his way to the door. He didn't bother trying to be quiet for Junko's loud snores told him that it would be a waste of time.

Finn walked out into the living room area and sat down on the window sill looking out over the Terra, watching the rain pound against the window. Even though they'd gotten a warm welcome something about this place just made him uneasy, he got the same feeling around Croft; it was like he had been holding something back, and that girl. Finn wanted so much to be able to get to know her, when he saw her something inside of him just clicked, but the problem was Finn didn't know exactly what clicked.

Not only that but he felt sorry for her as well, being trapped on the same Terra for sixteen years, sounded like hell to Finn. He'd been alone for only two years before he had met Aerrow and then Piper and Junko not long after, then together they'd set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

As Finn's mind began to settle he caught sight of a small figure outside of the inn, slowly walking through mud that now carpeted the Terra. Finn pressed his nose against the glass trying to get a better look at who was out in this dangerous weather, he squinted his eyes and thought he caught sight of a few wisps of long blond hair that were dark at the tips. But before he could be sure a large lightning bolt struck the ground relatively close to the inn and caused Finn to jolt back and fall, rather ungracefully, off of the window sill and onto the cold carpeting of the hotel room.

"Oww damn it." Finn said sitting up, his back against the wall, as he rubbed his now throbbing head. He could already feel the beginnings of a rather large bump in the spot where his head had connected with the floor.

Finn remembered that he thought he might have seen Silence out in that storm and immediately jumped back to his feet and once again crawled onto the window sill. But even if she had been out there she had disappeared from view, all Finn could see now was a small scorched area on the grass below and a few small flames that where swiftly extinguished by the rain. That last strike had only been a couple hundred yards from the inn. "I guess this place really does get some bad storms." Finn thought out loud to himself.

Finn heard a small yawn come from behind him and turned to see Aerrow emerging from his room, no doubt awoken because of the thunder like Finn had been. "You okay Finn? You're usually able to sleep through anything, something bothering you?" He asked.

Finn moved aside slightly giving Aerrow room to sit down "I don't really know, just this Terra doesn't feel right. I don't think we should be sticking around any longer than we have to." Finn quickly thought back to Silence, the Storm Hawks could leave as soon as the Condor was fully functional again but she was stuck, he had a feeling that if she was just able to get off this Terra then maybe her condition would stabilize and she wouldn't get sick as often, he wanted so badly just to help her.

"I know what you mean; just being here puts me on edge, like the first time we got stuck in the Black Gorge (Since the first time there had been two other occasions where the Storm Hawks had had the displeasure of finding themselves stuck in the gorge.) Stork had told us all about the creatures that lived down there so we all kind of lost it for a bit. Aerrow smiled at Finn, reminding him of the case of "Gorge Madness" that he had picked up during their first visit.

Finn smiled back and even laughed a bit at the memory. His expression slowly returned to one of concern however "You know that girl we saw? Croft's little sister Silence? What do you think about her?" Finn asked.

"I'm not really sure; the way she just kind of freaked out at the diner was kind of odd, it was like she went into a trace or something." Aerrow said "I just want to get off this Terra; I don't want to take any risks that we can avoid. Aerrow joined Finn as his concern began to steadily rise.

Finn knew that Aerrow was worried for the team's safety, they were all a family and each of their pasts was scarred from loosing loved ones, and none of them ever wanted to see that happen prematurely ever again. Finn also knew that Aerrow very often was worried for Piper's safety above all else, they had a special bond that Finn knew neither wanted broken. Finn had seen when Aerrow had put himself between her and Croft before they had known who he was, and would have sent some snappy remark their way if he hadn't been worried also. All that the team had been through a great deal together let them understand each other on different levels, and the way that Aerrow and Piper had come to see each other was unique.

Finn often found himself jealous of what the two had, neither one were ready to completely put it out there yet but in time, Finn was sure they would. That was the kind of bond that he wanted to have also, chasing after girls just for the hell of it was a habit he had picked up years ago.

His parents had had that bond as well; being together was all they ever needed. They had met by chance, much like Aerrow and Piper; they had both become a part of a sky knight squadron and fell in love. Finn always wanted to experience it for himself as well, and since his parents had met by chance, he thought putting himself in the path of a lot of girls would give him a better chance at finding someone. And after Finn had seen the way that Aerrow had begun doing anything to protect Piper, he only continued in his pursuits at greater lengths. After about another year he gave up and only continued chasing girls as an act of boredom.

The two continued to stare out the widow "I think she needs help, like help with getting off this Terra, maybe she'd get better if she got out you know?" Finn said looking at Aerrow once again.

"Maybe it would, but it's not up to us to decide though, Silence is Croft's little sister not ours." Aerrow said returning his gaze.

"But if we just suggested it to Croft then maybe he'd consider it. I just don't like seeing people trapped like that you know? That was me, you and Piper sixteen years ago and it's not fair just sitting and watching while someone else suffers." Finn looked solemn now, they all went through a great deal and it was never easy for Finn to see the same happening to others while he escaped with his friends on the Condor.

"Life hasn't been fair for a long time Finn, but right now, one of the best things we can do for Silence and everyone else is to find a way to bring Cyclonis down and end this damn war." Aerrow said.

Finn only nodded slightly before letting out a yawn and standing up to retreat back to bed. "I'm tired again." Aerrow nodded understandingly and Finn began walking to the door of his room. Before he had taken no more than five steps however, he turned back to Aerrow, suddenly remembering something else he had wanted to discuss with him, a look of complete seriousness on his face "I don't trust that Croft guy by the way."

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Authors Note: Well there you have it, are Finn's thoughts about Terra Marks as bad as he thinks? What's Silence's story? And will the Storm Hawks ever see the Condor flying agian? Keep reading for the answers to these questions and more (And hopefuly I wont be a loser and get sick or die or anything like that XD) LUVS YALL!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'M BACK!! I seriously didn't mean to take this long with this chapter, last week I was really busy and then I kind of lost my writing mojo for a few days so SORRY!! Once again Storm Hawks doesn't belong to me blah blah blah. And also thax to my readers and my big sister who always reads my chapters before I post them because I don't know grammer XP.

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"I live as nothing more than a distant shadow, a silhouette; never to move unless someone else moves first. For once in my life, let me be the one to take the first step in my own life. I want my own shadow, not to be the shadow of what I once was. Help me to take the first step."

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Aerrow didn't know what to make of the situation. He understood the reason behind Finn's statement but wasn't quite convinced of the plausibility. "Are you sure Finn? I mean, he hasn't really given us a reason to distrust him."

"Well yeah, but the dude just seems kind of sketchy. I mean, what kind of guy would keep his younger sister trapped on the same Terra for over a decade?" To Finn this didn't much seem like the kind of treatment a doctor would prescribe to someone with Silence's condition.

"I'm not saying that I agree with his means of healing his sister, but that's just it Finn, Silence is _his _sister. If he feels that's it's best to keep her here than that's his decision to make." Finn took another step closer to Aerrow, and leaned against the wall next to him for support, swiftly becoming tired of standing.

"It shouldn't be _his _decision Aerrow, it should be hers. She may be sick but she's not dead, she's still her own person. Finn was now becoming irritated, he knew Aerrow had a valid point but he just didn't care at this point. Something about this girl just made him so protective, and it was driving him completely insane trying to figure out why.

Aerrow was astonished, he knew Finn wasn't a complete idiot but he'd never really seen him take such interest in someone else before, it wasn't like him. "Finn, I know this is unfair. Right now, Atoms just isn't a very fair place, and I know it hurts like hell to have to see people suffering, but I just don't think this is a situation where there's much we can do to help. You can try to get Croft to let you talk to her, see if she really does need serious help. But other than that I don't know, like I said, this isn't our fight."

Finn just let out a small sigh and turned to look out at the wall on the opposite side of the room. "I'll see if I can talk to her then." He said "But that doesn't mean I have to like Croft, there's no way I'm changing my mind about him." Finn continued, turning to look at Aerrow once again and pointing a finger at him in accusation, but the hard look on his face had visibly softened a bit.

Aerrow chuckled slightly "I wouldn't ask you to." Finn may seem to have grown up a great deal over the last few years but he was still as stubborn as ever, if he didn't like someone; he meant it, or if he wanted to go to Tropica; he would protest until either he or Piper gave in and plotted a course for Stork to follow. "Well, you should probably get some sleep; you can try to ask Croft about talking to Silence in the morning."

"Yeah, I'll give it a try. But I'm telling you dude, you're going to be feeling pretty stupid when you find out that I'm right." Finn pushed himself off of the wall and headed back to his room "Night." He said looking back at Aerrow.

Even after Finn had left, accidently slamming the door as he entered his room, Aerrow remained where he was. Seeing the way that Finn had matured lately, reminded him of how much time had passed since their adventure had begun.

He glanced across the room to the door to Piper's room. So many years had gone by and he still hadn't told her. He'd had crushes growing up, and that's all he thought his feeling for Piper was until just recently. Aerrow got up from the window seat and sat down on one of the chairs in the living area of the room.

Four years ago when Piper had pretended to leave the team, he had discovered that protective feeling he got when he didn't know if she was safe. He hating having to sit by and wait for her to return and had been overjoyed when she made her reentrance after Ravess and her band of Talons had showed up hoping to bring them down after the leech crystals had taken full affect.

Afterwards, he just figured he'd developed a crush on the crystal specialist and that over time, it would pass. That was the problem though, it never passed, quite the opposite in fact, the feelings he had for her grew exponentially. Which left him confused beyond all reason; Aerrow understood how to be a sky knight and how to be a leader to his team but he hadn't been prepared for falling in love.

About a year ago, he'd admitted to himself that he really did love Piper a great deal, but he also knew that Cyclonis was putting up a strong fight to win the war against the Atmos and Aerrow wanted Piper to be safe above all else and the only way to make that happen was to end the war. So, Aerrow had vowed to be her protector. And if he did tell her that he was in love with her and she returned his feelings, Cyclonis might get wind of it and try to harm Piper to get to him, or vice versa.

So Aerrow bit his tongue, he didn't fear rejection, he understood that love had to work both ways for it to be successful and if it wasn't, then in time, the wounds would heal and he would move on. Instead, he feared desperately for the life of the woman he was in love with.

Aerrow leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the future that lay ahead. Whether it was bad or good he and his team… his family would face it head on.

The next morning the group was awoken by the sweet sound of Junko rapping on their doors. "Wake up, wake up, I smell food, we gotta go." Junko rushed back to his room and violently jostled Finn awake before quickly exiting the room to wait for his teammates to rise.

Finn rolled across his bed then slumped to the floor and quietly grumbled some very colorful words that all seemed aimed at Junko before standing and slowly redressing himself into his uniform.

Piper opened her door and stepped out to join the rest of her team before they made their way down to the lobby. Her hair was still a little damp from the shower she'd just taken and she was still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, and by the looks of it, so were Aerrow, Radarr and Finn. Junko on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He said he had woken up because he had smelled food and since Junko didn't understand the meaning of "patience" while food was being offered, he'd decided to play alarm clock for the day.

After the Storm Hawks had become lucid enough, they made their way down to the lobby to find Stork waiting for them. He was wrapped in several blankets and shivering violently.

"He said the furnace crystals on your ship died in the middle of the night, and the storm prevented him from taking shelter anywhere else." The Storm Hawks looked around and spotted Croft emerging from behind his desk. "The repairs for your carrier should begin in the next hour, why don't you all get something to eat." Croft said gesturing through the pair of double doors Finn had spotted the previous day.

The doors were now open revealing a large dining room that contained many buffet tables all strewn with a great array of food. The team only now became aware of just how hungry they really were. They'd all been sleeping for hours and had left their stomachs without nourishment for quite some time. Realizing this, they all stepped forward, eagerly awaiting the meal that lay ahead.

Finn on the other hand stayed back while the rest of his companions made their way into the dining room for breakfast. He was going to figure out more about Silence, even if it meant missing out on his favorite meal.

"Hey Croft!" Finn said, his heartbeat quickening with each step he took. Finn was an excellent fighter but Croft didn't exactly look weak, he was toned and very tall. Finn had grown a bit but not much and it didn't exactly help that Finn still felt exceedingly uneasy whenever in the presence of him. "Umm so, how's Silence doing?" He said.

"She is very well, thank you; she'd been sick for a while and only just recovered. What you saw yesterday was just the aftermath of the illness taking effect on Silence, sometimes she hallucinates and becomes frightened." Croft gave Finn a small smile as he explained.

"Yeah well, I was wondering if I would be able to maybe talk with her a little. I mean, having conversation with someone who doesn't actually live on this Terra might help her calm down a bit faster." Finn surprised even himself at how quickly he had invented a plausible reason for him to talk with Silence.

Croft was silent for a moment as he debated Finn's request "Yes… I think that might do her some good. But I ask you to please not discuss her condition with her. Being as weak as she is, upsets her greatly, it was she who in fact requested a job in the diner, as proof that she was well enough to work. She has a strong will of independence so being reminded of her instability by a stranger might break her. If you don't mind my asking, what Terra do you reside from?"

Croft had said all of this very fast and the sudden change of subject left Finn feeling a little dizzy trying to keep up. He took a few moments before answering "I used to live on Terra Atmosia."

"Good, good, talk with her about that then. I'm sure she'd love to hear about a new Terra. Thank you for your concern in my sister Finn, it means a great deal." Croft flashed a smile that Finn deemed as almost pained.

"You'll most likely find her at the diner, but if not just walk the edge of the Terra, and you will find her eventually." The look that now adorned Croft's face seemed to be an odd mixture of nervousness and excitement. "Please don't linger too long either my friend, with any luck we may discover the cause of your carrier trouble right away, and I don't know for sure how Silence will react to you so be quick with your visit."

Finn nodded in compliance and turned to exit the inn. Before leaving however he figured he should tell Aerrow where he was going. So he about-faced and walked into the dining room towards his team.

Junko sat happily at the end of one of the empty tables that had been set up; noisily munching on so many different kinds of foods that the difference between each was now indistinguishable. Stork was still cocooned in his blankets but the shivering had reduced some, he was now calmly eating what looked like one of Piper's sandcakes from off of the Condor. Aerrow and Piper sat beside each other, with a plate of food in front of both.

Finn approached Aerrow hoping that Piper wouldn't overhear what he was about to say. She meant well but could sometimes overanalyze the situation and make a big deal over nothing.

"Hey, I got Croft to let me talk to Silence. I'm gonna try to find her and I'll prove that I'm right." Finn whispered to Aerrow.

"Fine just be careful and don't try to push her too far. Hopefully you'll be able to see that I'm right and she's just fine living on Terra Marks." Aerrow replied, not even bothering to look up from his plate.

Finn stuck his tongue out at his commanding officer before heading back out to the lobby and then exiting the inn altogether.

Finn quickly jogged over to the diner, after the storm the Terra had grown peaceful. The sky was still on the overcast side but other than that everything seemed normal. The cool air felt good on Finn's skin as he continued to trek across the rain soaked earth.

Finn flung open the door of the diner and quickly scanned for any sign of Silence working that day. He found none, so instead he approached the counter, behind which stood the same waiter as the previous day.

"Umm excuse me? Is Silence working here today?" Finn asked

The young man scowled, a few stands of dark black hair fell in front of his eyes. "What business you got with her?" The man seemed to glance to the vast amount of knifes and generally pointy objects that decorated the walls behind the counter.

"Croft sent me to talk with her." Finn only saw this as a half a lie, Croft had agreed to let Finn see his sister but "sent" wasn't exactly the word most would use to describe the situation.

At the mention of Croft's name the waiter seemed to relax a tad but still didn't seem to trust Finn. "Well she ain't here, and if you were any kind of smart, you won't go looking for her neither."

"Uh, right sorry, well bye." Finn said hastily before rushing back out the exit. The "kindness" the young man had shown only seemed to reinforce the doubt Finn had about this entire Terra. He also decided that it would be wisest to eat his meals with Stork aboard the Condor from now on.

After ten minutes of walking along the edge of the Terra Finn was growing annoyed "Where the hell is she? There are only so many places on this damn Terra she could hide." Annoyance was usually the factor that unearthed a wide range of colorful words in Finn's vocabulary that had been discovered after many years of flying all over the Atmos.

But just as Finn was about to give up his search and head back to the inn he spotted her. She was sitting with her back propped up against a tree and her feet dangling over the side of the Terra; with what looked like a sketch book in hand.

"Hello?" Finn called at the girl "My name is Finn, I was at the diner yesterday and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Silence averted her gaze from the sky to Finn "You…Storm Hawk?" She asked quizzically.

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Author's Note: OOooOO What will happen next? Thank you all for reading and promise I'll get the next chapter up soon. Luvs ya all 2 death!!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Okay so writer's block stinks REALLY bad. If any of you have certian ways that you get rid of writer's block and want to help me out, I would really appreciate it. I've been banging my head against the keyboard for weeks trying to get something =P. But anyway thanks again to all who have read and/or reviewed, you're awsome and may your life prosper. So yeah, thanks also to both my sisters who put up with my whining about how I couldn't write LOVE YOU GUYS!!! And Storm Hawks does not belong to me in any way shape or form. Now read and enjoy!!!

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"Where does the lie end and the truth begin? What part of me is truly who I am, and what has been manufactured? Now begins the attempt at retrieving all that has been lost, let the lie disappear and the truth take shape."

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Finn stood dumbstruck; he didn't remember an occasion where the name of their squadron was mentioned in front of her. How did she know the name 'Storm Hawk'? "Yeah I'm a Storm Hawk, but how-?"

"Come." Silence stated, ushering Finn to sit on the grass beside her. While Finn walked tentatively over to where she sat, Silence began flipping through various pages in her sketch book. All of which, Finn notice, were drawn with childlike expertise. Some were no more than colorful scribbles completely unidentifiable to anyone other than Silence herself.

Silence paused for a moment and then held the sketch book up for Finn to see. On the page was a picture of what looked like an engine turbine with several crystals missing.

"I don't understand." Finn said scratching his head; he never had been very good at guessing games.

Silence only continued to point at the picture in her book. Her face was expressionless as she gazed forward into Finn's icy blue eyes.

Finn couldn't understand what the girl meant. He thought that Silence was being serious about him finding meaning within the drawing, and not trying to make fun of him but he just couldn't see it. What relevance did any of it hold?

"Who are you?" Finn asked, at this point he completely disregarded everything that Croft had told him. He knew there was something special about this girl, and he had been right. Mentally Finn made a note to rub this in Aerrow's face later.

To this, Silence only shook her head "No." Was the only thing she said, her voice was so soft and frail Finn was worried that at any time it would shatter along with the rest of her.

Before Finn could continue to ask her any questions, a booming voice was heard making its way closer to the pair. After a moment Junko could be seen running around like a mad man trying to find Finn.

Finn knew his time with the girl was up, so quickly he turned back to Silence and gripped both of her hands tightly in his "Listen to me; I'm going to help you alright? I'm going to help you; I'll come find you again soon." He gave her hands a tight squeeze before pushing himself off of the ground and running to meet Junko.

"Junko man what's going on?" Finn said panting slightly because of the sprint it had taken to catch up to him.

"You have to come back to the Condor with me, Aerrow, Croft, and Stork were checking out the engine and they found some weird stuff, come on." Junko pulled slightly on the sleeve of Finn's uniform as he began heading back towards the ship.

Finn took one final glance back at the tree he had only moments ago been sitting under but was disappointed to find the space beneath was now unoccupied entirely.

Moments later the friends had arrived at the docks. Finn could see Piper and Stork standing just outside the Condor's entrance talking to each other about the situation and what alternatives could be used, and basically a great deal of stuff that Finn didn't care about.

Just then Aerrow emerged from inside the ship, seeing that Junko had returned with Finn, He decided that now was a good time to address his team. "So, it looks like we're going to be here a while. Finn, since you weren't here I'll explain what we found. Or I guess I should say "what we didn't find" while trying to make repairs to the Condor." He said.

"After breakfast we all came down here with some mechanics from town. They searched every inch of the ship but for some reason, twelve Engine, and three Solaris crystals were missing from the turbine. Croft has just gone to radio Terra Rex to see if any Engine Crystals are available for immediate transport. The mechanics said that there weren't enough crystals in stock to refill the ship, and it may take a while for the others to arrive. So it looks like our stay has been extended for a few days." Aerrow concluded.

Finn felt his heart skip a beat as he processed the meaning behind Aerrow's explanation. It meant that they had that much longer to figure out how to help Silence.

"But how is it possible for fifteen crystals to just vanish?" Piper asked "Stork was onboard all night and would have noticed someone skulking around in the engine room." A look of complete confusion was spreading rapidly across her face.

"I'll tell you what it was that took those crystals!" Stork said popping up behind Piper, his face twisted with insanity "East Cortillian Beam Snatchers. They come in the dead of night and steal anything shiny." He said his pupils dilating as he continued to circle around his teammates.

"Umm… as convincing as that theory sounds Stork, I think we should explore some different possibilities." Piper said.

Stork only shrugged "Just you wait, you'll see, you'll all see." And with that, Stork retreated back into the confines of the Condor.

"Right, so I guess we should move some of our stuff into the inn if we're going to be here for a few extra days." Aerrow said with a little regret in his voice. He still didn't trust this Terra, and his instincts were usually pretty dead on.

The Storm Hawks all receded into the Condor to collect their respective provisions that they would need for the now extended stay on Terra Marks. The team packed in silence; no one was especially thrilled to be stranded until the supplies arrived from Terra Rex, so there wasn't really much to talk about.

As Aerrow passed Piper's room he looked in and saw that she wasn't packing, she was sitting at her desk reading one of her many books on crystals. Aerrow smirked a little. _Why was he not surprised? _"You know I heard there's another storm coming in tonight, you should probable hurry and get your stuff together, unless you plan on freezing to death out here all night." Aerrow said coolly, leaning against the frame of Piper's door, arms crossed across his chest.

"I'm coming, I was just trying to figure out what kind of crystal Croft has. It's fascinating; I've never seen one like it before." Piper replied, only briefly looking up at Aerrow before once again burying her nose in her book.

"Piper you've seen hundreds of crystals how do you know that you're not just forgetting one?" Aerrow walked calmly up to Piper and stood behind her as she continued to skim the text.

Piper swiveled around in her chair and sent a stern look back at the sky knight but then laughed slightly as he recoiled somewhat against the authority of her gaze "You really think that the crystal specialist of the Storm Hawks would slip so far as to not remember a crystal at first glance?" Piper playfully pressed a hand against her heart in mock outrage "Aerrow, I'm shocked."

Aerrow laughed and decided to play along for a bit "Well _I'm_ shocked that the brain behind my squadron has lost her touch. I'd have to say that at this point, even I could do better." Aerrow smirked and took a step back from Piper, once again crossing his arms over his chest. Hoping that Piper wouldn't see this as a chance to prove exactly how much he did know about crystals, which wasn't much.

Unfortunately for Aerrow, Piper did see it as a challenge "Oh yeah smart guy? Then what is the most recognizable trait of a Cloaking Crystal?" Piper turned in her chair so that she was looking at Aerrow straight on and began tapping her foot against the metal floor in a steady rhythm.

Aerrow's face fell "_Damn it!" _he thought to himself as he began trying to rack his brain for the possible solution. "Umm, it's Purple?" Aerrow answered, knowing that this was nowhere near the answer that Piper was looking for.

"So is an Oblivion Crystal, and that's one mistake that could cost someone their life. Still think you know more than me sky knight?" Piper smirked, knowing that she'd won their little 'argument'.

"I may not know as much about crystals as you." Aerrow said slowly inching closer to Piper, a devilish grin now visible on his lips "But I could still kick your ass any day of the week."

In one quick motion, Aerrow tackled Piper out of her chair and onto the ground. The two began rolling around the floor of Piper's room, jokingly trying to pin the other to the ground.

The struggle ended with Aerrow as the victor hovering over Piper as he held her wrists down on either side of her head and smiling triumphantly. Both friends were now slightly flushed from wrestling and panting slightly.

"See, I told you I could kick your ass." Aerrow said smiling at the girl that lay beneath him.

"Yeah well, you're just lucky I let you win this round." Piper stuck her tongue out at Aerrow.

Aerrow and Piper laughed once more. They were both glad for the laps in seriousness, ever since they'd landed the whole team had been on edge about the Terra. It was nice to be able to loosen up a bit.

"Ahem." A voice suddenly said from the doorway.

Aerrow and Piper looked over to see Finn standing in the hallway just outside Piper's room. A look of utter amusement was emanating from him as he stared at the two's 'questionable' position.

"You know that storm is moving in fast, if you two are done doing… whatever it was that you were doing, you might want to think about hurrying up." And with that, Finn escaped from their view, the chuckles from his laughter however, seemed echo throughout the ship long after Finn was gone.

Aerrow was now bright red from embarrassment. He hastily released his grip on Piper's wrists and scrambled to stand up. He held his hand out to Piper; she took it and nodded in thanks when she was also in a standing position once again. Her face was also flushed from embarrassment at Finn's interjection.

"Umm I should go put the rest of the equipment away." Aerrow said sheepishly before quickly exiting the room.

"Damn it Finn." Piper said as she watched Aerrow go. She then let out a quiet sigh and turned to pack the rest of the belongings she would need for the stay.

After about another twenty minutes the Storm Hawks were packed and ready to begin their stay at the wonderful Terra Marks inn.

As the team walked onward, each with bags in hand, Finn glanced around the area to see if he could spot Silence out and about anywhere. His search was in vain however, as she was nowhere to be seen.

The team shuffled awkwardly into the lobby of the inn, the mass amount of luggage they had between the six of them didn't really care to cooperate while trying to maneuver through the small front door of the establishment.

Much of the equipment from the Condor had been retrieved as well. The team felt that it was worth a little extra manual labor on their part to keep other essential components of the Condor safe from any thievery. It was better to have any part that wasn't bolted down, in the inn with them so it could be kept under observation.

As the Storm Hawks continued to stand in the lobby, taking a quick rest before making the trip up to their room on the top floor, Croft emerged from the room behind his desk.

"Ah, there you are my friends. Glad to see all of your belongings have safely made the journey from your ship." Croft said while making his way over to the group. He stopped for a moment, in his mind counting the number of Storm Hawks that stood before him.

"Umm may I inquire as to the location of your Merb friend?" Croft asked once he had figured out that of the team members was not in his lobby with the rest.

"Oh he just went back to say good night to the Condor." Junko said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most normal thing in the Atmos for a carrier pilot to need to wish his ship a pleasant rest.

"Stork can be a little on the eccentric side sometimes." Piper said smiling at Croft.

Croft cleared his throat and said "Yes well, if you don't mind then we should probably begin taking some of this to your rooms." Croft walked over to where Radarr was standing and took the case near him that was full of many of Piper and Storks maps and navigational tools.

Radarr chirped in thanks, excited that there was one less thing that he had to carry, and merrily took the second of the two bags that he had been ordered to carry, and trotted after Croft.

Radarr's path was blocked however when Aerrow took a step in front of him. "Radarr, what all is in that bag?" Aerrow said, his arms crossed and eyes fixed upon the furry creature.

Radarr sheepishly handed over his bag to Aerrow and watched as he opened it. In the case, only two of Radarr's spare uniforms lay unfolded and one of Piper's Nimbus Crystals that she had asked Radarr to pack because she had run out of room.

Radarr only shrugged and tentatively rubbed his arms, pretending that they were sore from carrying all of the weight.

Aerrow smirked "I think you can do a little better than that buddy." He then ushered Junko over to where they were standing, and offered to take the bag that held all of the Turkey Burps that Junko used on his skimmer.

Aerrow handed the bag over to Radarr "There that should even things out a bit."

Radarr shot a livid glare at Aerrow before taking the bag from his hands. The Turkey Burps weren't too heavy for Radarr, but he was never one to volunteer for extra heavy lifting and wasn't necessarily thrilled that Aerrow had just 'volunteered' him for said job.

Stork then joined the others in the lobby as they began moving their bags across the foyer to the elevator. No sooner than he had joined them however, the rain began to once again pound the small inn and flashes of lightning were seen from the windows.

After a few minutes all the bags were waiting by the elevator, and the team was once again taking a short break. Suddenly a massive flash of lightning flared from outside illuminating the vestibule even more than usual.

The light didn't last long however, just as quickly as the flash had appeared, it was gone leaving the room in now total darkness.

"Damn lightning must have struck the generator outside." Croft said "Looks like we're taking the stairs."

"Could anything else go wrong?" Finn yelled as a large crackle of thunder boomed outside.

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Author's Note: So there you have it. I know it's not the most exciting chapter yet but I promise, I've got big plans for what's to come so keep checking in. I'm going to try as hard as I can not to let writer's block kick my butt again so wish me luck. And don't forget to review, I love hearing from you guys so don't be shy!! See you in chapter 6!!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Well here it is ya'll. Please send me good wishes because school is a bitch and it makes me sad XP Thanks to everyone who has read so far I really appreciate it, let's get this show on the road!

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"I am nothing more than a bird trapped in a cage. I'm forced to observe but never to raise my voice any more than a whisper. My sight of the outside world lingers and continues to mock my irrelevant existence. Silent tears roll down my cheeks as I dream of the day the cage will open; someday… it will be a reality."

The team couldn't believe their bad luck; the storm had knocked out the power before they'd had a chance to bring all of their belongings to their suite, the suite that just happened to be on the top floor of Croft's inn.

The inn was made up of six total levels, the bottom level, Croft had told the group, was the basement. It stored all the food and emergency crystals of the building. The next level up was, of course, the lobby. The next two levels were rooms that were reserved for residence of Terra Marks when a home gets damaged and they need a place to stay. The next level up was for any visitors or for supply delivery personnel who need to stay on the Terra overnight.

Finally, the top floor where the Storm Hawks were staying for the time being, sat mockingly perched on the sixth floor of the hotel. So now five flights of winding stairs separated the two, in short, it was going to be a long night.

"The crystal generator that powers the inn is outside, must have gotten struck. Stay here I have to run to the back room, there's some emergency Solaris Crystals back there that can be used for the time being. Croft said as he began slowly trying to maneuver his way around the luggage and back through to the front of the lobby.

No more than two minutes later the Storm Hawks turned to see the door behind the check-in desk swing open and Croft, now remotely illuminated by the glow of the Solaris Crystals, joined them once again.

Croft had found enough crystals so that everyone including himself had one. "The stairs are just down the hall, climb to the top and you shall reach your room." Croft said "I must take my leave now I'm afraid; I need to go tend to the generator. I'm sorry I cannot help you with your bags my friends."

As soon as Croft was out of earshot Finn snorted at his statement. "Yeah right he's sorry; the dude just doesn't want to have to take eight million trips up and down the stairs." Finn crossed his arms and sat down upon the ground next to his bags.

Piper came up behind him and smacked him upside the head "Don't be such a baby Finn we've been in and out of Cyclonia since we were practically kids, I think you can handle a little heavy lifting." Piper now offered her hand to Finn to help him up off the hotel floor.

Finn sighed then took Piper's hand and hoisted himself up. She gave him a warm smile before she turned and picked up the bag that had most of her crystal research in it.

Each Storm Hawk turned and picked up a case and began making their way over to where Croft had indicated where the stairs were. Piper arrived first and pulled open the door that concealed the stairway and began the climb.

Finn took his time walking down the hallway, allowing his teammates to stride past him. When Aerrow walked by however, Finn quickly grabbed one of his arms so that he would slow down to his pace.

"Finn what are you doing?" Aerrow said looking back at the sharpshooter.

"I was right." Finn whispered back "I talked with Silence, and I was right. She isn't just some sickly little girl who can't take care of herself."

"Well what did she say to you?" Aerrow said as the two reached the stairs and began climbing after the rest of their team.

"She didn't actually 'say' all that much, except that she knew that I was a Storm Hawk without me even saying anything. Then she showed me some weird drawings of… of…" Finn's speech drifted off and he became silent. He stopped climbing as he remembered what it was that Silence had showed him a sketch of.

_"Come." Silence stated, ushering Finn to sit on the grass beside her. While Finn walked tentatively over to where she sat, Silence began flipping through various pages in her sketch book. All of which, Finn noticed, were drawn with childlike expertise. Some were no more than colorful scribbles completely unidentifiable to anyone other than Silence herself._

_ Silence paused for a moment and then held the sketch book up for Finn to see. On the page was a picture of what looked like an engine turbine with several crystals missing._

_ Aerrow emerged from inside the ship, seeing that Junko had returned with Finn, he decided that now was a good time to address his team. "So it looks like we're going to be here a while. Finn, since you weren't here I'll explain what we found. Or I guess I should say "What we didn't find" while trying to make repairs to the Condor." He said._

_ "After breakfast we all came down here with some mechanics from town. The searched every inch of the ship but for some reason, twelve Engine and three Solaris Crystals were missing from the turbine."_

Finn dropped his bag from the shock of remembering what had happened earlier that day. "Oh my god… she knew." Finn said to himself, he couldn't believe he hadn't figured it out before then.

"Finn what's wrong?" Aerrow had set his bag down and shook Finn's shoulder trying to snap him out of it.

"Aerrow, she knew! Dude she knew!" Finn said turning back to Aerrow his face now ablaze with excitement.

Aerrow on the other hand, looked slightly terrified at the crazed look on his best friend's face. "What do you mean? Who knows what about what?"

"Silence knew what was wrong with the engine turbine on the Condor." Finn said excitedly.

"Finn that's crazy how could she have known about the ship? I don't think she's ever gotten within a hundred yards of it!" Aerrow asked back at Finn.

"When I talked with her today, she showed me a picture she had drawn of an engine turbine that had a bunch of crystals missing. It didn't understand it then but now it all makes perfect sense." Finn continued, his smile growing with every spoken word.

"Are you sure that's what you saw Finn? I mean, a picture of an engine turbine could be mistaken for a lot of things."

_"Why does he always have to be so sensible?" _Finn thought to himself. He knew someone had to do it, but sometimes it just pissed him off when Aerrow always had to try to find a way to prove him wrong.

"Yeah, I'm positive that's what I saw Aerrow."

Aerrow was silent for a moment, the situation was truly puzzling and Aerrow couldn't seem to find a reasonable explanation until "Well you know there is one way she could have known about the crystals."

"Yeah, what do you think?" Finn wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Well you know _she_ could've been the one who took the crystals." Aerrow said sheepishly, he knew that Finn wouldn't like the possibility but it was a possibility none the less.

Finn's expression was blank, in any other situation he would've agreed with Aerrow right away but he knew Silence wasn't the kind of person to do a thing like that. It was simply impossible. "No." Finn said harshly.

Aerrow sighed "Finn please, at least listen to rea-"

"NO!" Finn shouted back. What was happening? Finn was never the kind of person to lash out like that, not to the rest of his team, let alone his commanding officer. Now all of a sudden he felt a fire burning within him that told him he had to press onward.

Aerrow was completely taken aback by Finn's sudden outburst "Finn, I'm not accusing Silence of anything. Her illness may have prevented her from going anywhere near the Condor anyway."

Aerrow stepped closer to Finn and place a hand on his shoulder. Finn jumped slightly at the touch but then deflated as the anger that had been in his body seemed to leave.

"What's happening to me?" Finn said looking up at Aerrow. He was now becoming truly frightened; he had never felt these kinds of emotions before. It almost felt like this rage that had taken up residence within him was not his own.

"Just take it easy for the night okay? This Terra's got everyone a little on edge I'm sure it's just a little stress taking its toll. We should get going anyway; if we want to get any sleep tonight we should get all our stuff up to the room. Aerrow gave Finn a small smile of reassurance before he began climbing once more. Finn, on the other hand, elected to stay back a little while longer.

As Aerrow climbed he noticed a figure leaning against the wall on the landing just above him. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on here?" Aerrow winced slightly then raised his Solaris crystal so that the glow would illuminate whomever it was that had been eavesdropping, even though he already had a fairly decent guess as to who it was.

Piper stood casually in front of Aerrow, now fully visible from the light of his crystal. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest, her lips slightly pursed as she waited for an answer.

"What do you mean?" Aerrow asked her, trying to fit as much innocents into that question as possible.

"Don't try and lie to me Aerrow, you've never been very good at that." Piper's voice was as stern as her expression, sending a shiver or two down Aerrow's spine.

"It's not that big of a deal, Finn is just getting a little stir crazy about having to stay on this Terra for so long." Aerrow lowered his Solaris crystal slightly and managed to walk past Piper and continue up the stairs.

Piper snorted slightly "Yeah, like I'm going to believe that that little 'outburst' of his was because we've been on this Terra for two days? We've been through worse Aerrow." Piper was now walking behind Aerrow as they continued upward.

"Well if you haven't noticed, this Terra isn't exactly as normal as we thought." Aerrow said.

"I know that Aerrow, we all do. But I also know that something is up with Finn and I'm worried he's going to do something stupid." The hardness in Piper's voice was beginning to be replaced with concern for her friends' wellbeing.

Aerrow was about to comment but Junko and Radarr immerged from the door leading to the entrance of their suite. Junko gave a small wave to the both of them before trotting back down the stairs for more bags. Radarr was heading back down as well, but at a much slower pace, the creature's ears drooping lower and lower with every step he took.

Aerrow waited until he knew Junko and Radarr would be out of earshot. When the distance seemed large enough, Aerrow let out a sigh, and then began to tell her what had been going on.

"Does he think Silence is some kind of a prisoner here?" Piper asked. While Aerrow was telling the story the two had dropped off their first load of luggage and were now making their second trip up the staircase.

"It's hard to say." Aerrow said "Finn never was easy to figure out and it seems being on Terra Marks is only making that harder."

Piper nodded in agreement. The rest of their climb was spent in silence; tiredness was rearing its ugly head once again and was escalating with the increasing lateness of the hour. They occasionally passed other teammates as they climbed and descended.

After about an hour, the Storm Hawks had managed to get all of their needed belongings up in the room. "Well, this is…better." Aerrow said rubbing the back of his head at the sight of their once tidy suite.

No one had really been paying attention to where they were throwing their stuff so now; there was a mountain of clutter all around the rooms. Piper's crystal research lay strewn across the dining table, Finn's guitar was nowhere to be seen, and the cage of one of Stork's many 'pets' was open and laying in the kitchen sink.

"We can work on getting organized in the morning, but for now we should all get some sleep." As the team began to drift into their rooms for the evening Aerrow noticed Piper send a concerned glance in Finn's direction before retreating into her room.

Aerrow sighed _"She really does worry too much."_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Three Days Later

The days past without much excitement, the Storm Hawks' room was now back in order. Piper's research had been moved into her room and Finn's guitar had been found in the refrigerator, and so on.

Each day Finn had attempted to speak with Silence again but to no avail. He would walk the edge of the Terra each chance he got, but she was nowhere to be found. She hadn't been seen working at the diner either and Finn was beginning to get worried.

Piper had also approached him the previous day, saying that Aerrow had already given her an idea of what was going on so there was no reason in lying to her. Finn had silently cursed Aerrow but never the less informed Piper on what he had been thinking since coming to Terra Marks. She had listened intently but when he had finished she had only nodded then disappeared back into her room.

Finn had been very pleased with her reaction. Piper only does that kind of thing when she has taken great interest in something, so he was hoping she would be more on his side than Aerrow had been. But for now, he had to wait.

Finn was once again tracing the outline of the Terra looking for Silence. As he neared the tree where he and Silence had had their 'conversation' earlier he looked up to see her once again sitting beneath it, sketch book in hand and looking out over the cloud line.

Finn was ecstatic to see her, he had been worried that something happened to her, but as he looked closer he noticed something. The whole left side of her face was purple and badly bruised. Her eyes were also red and puffy, she had been crying.

"Oh my god." Finn said under his breath, she looked terrible.

Silence had heard him and looked over in his direction; she gave him a soft smile "Hello Finn."

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Yay one more down! We're starting to get into the more juicy stuff so stay with me. And don't forget to review because it always makes my day a little better when I get to hear from my lovely readers. Peace&Love ya'll till next time.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Guess who's back? LOBSTER!!!! Storm Hawks isn't mine blah blah blah. Thank's once again to every single person who's been with me so far. This is my first story so it means a lot to me so thank you so much. And quick thanks to my big sister who always prof-reads my chapters before I post them she's awsome and if it weren't for her there would be a lot more stupid mistakes in these chapters. ENOUGH WITH THE SAPPY STUFF LET'S GET TO THE STORY!!!!

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"I have become what time wishes me to be. My soul chipped away over the years like rocks to a tide. I was once my own being but now, no more. You are here, I can feel it. But the game is not over, can you reach me before time runs out?"

* * *

Finn stood rooted to the spot. Half of Silence's face was bruised and slightly swollen and she seemed completely unaffected by it. What the hell could have done this?

"S-Silence? What happened to you?" Finn said running over to her and bending down to get a closer look at her wound.

Her face fell and she averted her eyes from Finn's gaze. She raised one of her hands to gingerly touch her face. Finn saw her eyes wince slightly as her hand brushed the swollen skin.

Finn dropped to his knees in front of her and gently took her hand and entwined it with his own. "Silence, please, tell me what happened." Finn's heart was hurting, this girl was completely defenseless, and for her to have been hurt like this, it was almost too much for Finn to bear.

Silence was still for a moment before she retracted her hand from Finn's grip. She once again picked up her sketchbook and began flipping through the pages. When she stopped she looked at the page for a moment before holding it tightly against her chest as if she was saying goodbye to a dear friend, and then handed it to Finn.

Finn was completely confused, which, under normal circumstances wouldn't be that unusual but this time, his confusion was justified. On the page was nothing more than a scribble of color. A dark blue that matched Silences eye's perfectly, but Finn didn't understand why this sketch was important.

"Silence…what does it mean?" Finn asked handing the sketch pad back to her.

Silence quickly snatched the pad back from him and began brushing the page back and forth as if she was trying to brush away the color that adorned it. She then began gesturing to the bruised side of her face.

Finn only shook his head in confusion.

Silence began to look slightly panicked and began to gesture more and more feverishly back and forth from the drawing to her face. By her expression, one would guess that she was being chased by the very incarnation of evil. Her face was beginning to get flushed as she continued. Her eyes darting from the page to Finn, hoping desperately that he would understand her meaning.

Finn didn't know what to do, he wanted so badly to understand what was going on but he just couldn't. "Why can't you just tell me?" Finn asked.

Silence shoved the picture back at Finn, pointing at the blue blob, then clasped her other hand around her own throat. Then she stopped, and looked at Finn to see what his response would be.

Finn still could only shake his head "I'm sorry" he said to her. He felt disappointed in himself for not being able to figure out what she meant. "_Damn charades" _he thought bitterly to himself.

She looked a bit crest fallen for a moment but then got another idea. She quickly took out a box of colored pencils; she took out a few different shades of blue and began scribbling on a fresh page of her book. When it was the shade she wanted she took her pointer finger and rubbed it on the splash of color until she had an even coding of blue on her finger.

Silence scooted a little closer to Finn and reached out her hand. She took the finger that was coded with the blue color and drew a single vertical line going down Finn's neck.

Finn shivered slightly at her touch, she was as cold as ice.

When she was finished, Silence once again looked up at Finn for a response. He brought a hand up and softly touched the spot on his neck that she had touched. He pulled back and saw the blue color that now tinted his hand. He let out a sigh of defeat "I'm sorry, I still don't know what you're talking about." At this, Silence's face fell once again.

"You really can't talk about it can you?" He asked her, and to that she shook her head no. Silence then brought her hands to her face and began trembling and sobbing uncontrollably. Finn looked at her for just a moment and his heart once again broke for her.

She reminded Finn so much of what life had been like all those years ago. She held grief in her heart that no one else could understand. Finn still held a pain within him as well, but he had found a family who understood and helped him to set his demons at rest. Silence had had no one her whole life.

Finn wrapped his arms around the trembling girl and held her close to him. In response, Silence buried her face in Finn's chest and continued to cry.

Neither of the two knew how long they sat there under the tree, but then again, neither of them cared. For at that moment, their worlds only stretched as far as the other person. Finn sat there with her, gently stroking her hair as her sobs slowly receded into hiccups.

Finn wondered if anyone had even bothered to comfort Silence in her whole life. Like so many others, she had lost her family and that in itself was grief enough. But Silence wasn't allowed to leave the minuscule little rock called 'Terra Marks'. Finn was happy to comfort her, and for at least a little while, give her a chance to see that she wasn't alone.

And even after Silence stopped crying entirely the two remained together. It wasn't until a low rumble of thunder made its way to their ears did Silence or Finn make any attempt at moving. Finn looked up and saw that dark clouds were once again beginning to rest above the small terra.

Finn sighed _"Haven't those storms caused enough trouble?" _He thought bitterly to himself. Finn reluctantly rose from his place beside Silence then turned and extended a hand to help her to her feet a well. She took it and Finn gently helped her up.

"I guess that's my cue." Finn said, a small reassuring smile painted itself across his face as he continued to look at Silence.

Silence only nodded in response, but then took a small step closer to Finn and brushed off the blue color that had still been resting on his neck. Finn looked a little surprised at first, he had completely forgotten about the smudge of color he had been wearing "Thanks." He said to her, to which she only nodded once again.

Finn felt a drop of rain plop on his head and knew they both should be getting indoors. So Finn looked back at Silence once more and wiped a tear stain from her un-bruised cheek "I'll be back soon." He said in a kind voice.

The two could feel the rain gaining strength by the second. "Go." Silence said to him giving him a slight push in the direction of the inn.

Finn smiled once more before turning and jogging back to the protection of the inn, and as he ran the rain continued to soak him. He hardly noticed however, for at that moment every possible emotion was now passing through Finn's body.

He felt the deepest possible sympathy for Silence and all the years of loneliness she had been through. He also felt unimaginable rage towards the person who had allowed her to suffer for so long, namely, Croft. Happiness, sadness, satisfaction, disappointment, all were present in Finn's mind at the moment.

Like all the previous nights, Finn walked the length of the lobby and entered the once again functioning elevator and rode up to the Storm Hawks suite. Upon entering Finn saw Aerrow and Junko playing a game of poker in the living area and Radarr curled up beside Aerrow on one of the couches taking a nap. Stork was back in the room he was sharing with Aerrow and Radarr performing some experiments with some of the 'pets' he had brought up from the Condor. Piper was back in her room doing some crystal research.

When Finn shut the door behind him, Junko looked up and gave him a friendly wave before once again becoming engrossed in his and Aerrow's game. Aerrow looked up as well a moment later and then smiled at his appearance "Get stuck out in the rain again?"

Finn walked up behind Aerrow and glanced quickly at his hand of cards "Oh, pair of two's huh?" He said casually.

"Ha!" Junko exclaimed loudly "I knew you were bluffing!" He laid his hand down on the table "I win!"

"Hey!" Aerrow said looking back at Finn, who only shrugged in response "Oops." Finn said before he walked away to get his guitar from his and Junko's room, laughing to himself the whole way.

"That doesn't count Junko, Finn cheated." Finn heard Aerrow say as he sauntered away from the scene of the crime.

For the next few hours Finn alternated from playing assorted songs on his guitar and playing rounds of cards with Aerrow and Junko. All the while the storm raged outside, earlier that day Croft had told them that this should be the last storm for a while so they could look forward to sunshine the next day.

Later that night, after all the rest of his teammates had gone to sleep, Finn lay awake staring up at the ceiling of his room. His mind kept wandering back to the days all those years ago when he had been orphaned and had blindly wandered the streets; he had no one who understood him, no one who had any idea the pain he had within his broken heart.

There had been plenty of tragedy that day, but until he had met Aerrow, there hadn't been a single soul who had even sent an apologetic glance to the little blonde boy who had to fend for himself.

Finn continued to think back to how much emotion Silence had shown when there was someone who was willing to listen. He may not have understood exactly _what _it was that she had been trying to express to him but just the fact that someone was there had seemed to comfort her greatly.

Usually when you compare someone to yourself in younger years, it's a happy time, full of joyous reminiscing. But when comparing Silence to himself was not something that Finn was proud of. His life had been hell, he'd escaped, but she was still fighting her way through.

After some time, Finn fell into an uneasy sleep. The angry sounds of the storm raging outside woke him on several occasions throughout the night.

In time however, the storm did end, leaving Terra Marks to transition from night to day in peaceful silence.

Just as Croft had promised, the next day had brought with it, the cheerful sight of warm sunshine cascading through the windows of the inn. For the first time since during the Storm Hawks visit, the terra was bright and lively. More people were seen outside their homes tending gardens or feeding livestock.

That morning each of the Storm Hawks peacefully awoke from their sleep to the comforting warmth of the sunshine and the thought of the chef preparing a delectable breakfast for them. And after they had all showered and dressed, they made their way down to the dining hall.

As the friends all sat together happily reminiscing about some of their past adventures, Croft came walking up to them, a smile painted clear as day across his face "I have wonderful news my friends!" He said excitedly "I just received radio confirmation from our crystal suppler from Terra Rex that they will be here within the hour for your shipment."

Finn's heart dropped "_Oh shit!_" He screamed in his mind.

"That's great!" Piper said cheerfully from her seat beside Finn "We should be able to get the Condor up and running by the end of the day."

Finn mentally hit Piper over the head.

At this, Stork jump from his seat with a great amount of enthusiasm and said "I'll go begin preparations immediately." Stork bounded away so fast he completely forgot the remaining half of the sandcake he had been eating for breakfast, which Radarr swiftly devoured before he returned.

Croft chuckled softly at Stork's vigor "I suppose I should make some preparations for the supplier's arrival. Why don't you all finish your meals before you join your Merb friend?" And with that Croft took his leave.

Finn sat looking dumbstruck, a moment ago, he'd had all the time in the world to try and help Silence, now, the clock had struck zero.

"Hey Finn, you alright buddy?" Junko's kind voice said as his large hand gently nudged him from across the table. Finn didn't budge.

Finn couldn't believe this, never before had he felt this type of connection with someone, and now, they were telling him that he had to leave it all behind. He couldn't do it; his body wasn't even letting him consider it as an option. He had to save her from living her life in the darkness.

After a few more failed attempts to bring Finn back to reality, Aerrow and Piper hoisted him up by his arms and all but carried him back up to his room. They laid him down on his bed and started repacking their belongings for the trip back down to the Condor.

Back in her room Piper sat on her bed folding clothes and packing them into a suitcase. As she did so however, she couldn't help but feel sympathy towards Finn. She wasn't sure if there really was reason to worry about Silence staying on Terra Marks, but Finn obviously thought so.

Since Finn had told her exactly what he thought had been going on Piper had been searching records of anyways to cure a condition like Silence's but she had come up empty handed. She hadn't told Finn of her research for fear of getting his hopes up. She just wished there was something else she could do to help.

Just then there was a swift knock at her door "Come in." she said discontinuing her folding for the moment.

Aerrow hastily opened the door, Piper noticed his face was slightly flushed and he was panting slightly.

"We've got a problem." He said urgently.

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Well, there you have it. Reviews make me a very happy camper so just push the button and send a review, you can just say 'hi' if you want. Thanks again for readin' Peace&Love till next time!!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Hello my awsome readers who are the coolest people ever because they're reading my story!!! I still don't own Storm Hawks =( As always thanks to every one who's read "Nighmares of a Songbird" and thanks all my awsome reviewers.

We're getting into the really good stuff now, I think I'm only going to need three or four more chapters before I wrap this baby up so it's gonna get pretty epic =D So enjoy and don't forget to review after you read ya'll, love to hear from you!

**Also to my big sis, thanks for reading this chapter even though it was late and it was frustrating because I don't know where to put commas**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

"I believe in you, as the skepticism grows you listen to the voice in your heart. Beware of the demon's eyes that are watching your every move. The door of my cage is beginning to open and I can hear your voice calling out to me, you're almost there."

* * *

Piper jumped a little at the sudden surprise of Aerrow's visit. "What problem, what are you talking about?" She said standing up from her bed.

Aerrow was silent for a moment so he could collect his breath, he'd just run the entire distance from the Condor to the suite and was now slightly out of breath.

Piper ushered him over to the bed and told him to sit for a bit. He thanked her and gratefully obliged.

Piper quickly went across the hall to check to see in Finn was still in his room, she opened the door and saw he was still lying on his bed. She left him be and got a glass of water for Aerrow.

When she returned to her room, Piper handed Aerrow the glass and sat down beside him. "So what's going on?" Piper asked seriously.

Aerrow let out a small sigh "The crystals" he said with disbelief in his voice "They're gone."

Piper looked at him "I know Aerrow that happened days ago. That's the whole reason we're here." she said.

Aerrow shook his head "That's not what I mean. We were down at the docks prepping the Condor, Radarr and Stork brought down the boxes that had our crystal supplies in them so they could be loaded. But when we opened them up they weren't there." He finished.

"What?" Piper said confusedly "Aerrow that's impossible, they've been here the whole time they couldn't be gone."

Aerrow sighed and ran a hand through his crimson hair "Well, they are." He said "And now we're stuck here again."

Piper joined Aerrow with a sigh of her own "Damn it." She said rubbing her eyes.

Aerrow let out a small snort of amusement, "Yeah, my sentiments exactly." He said as he leaned back on Piper's bed, folding his hands behind his head.

"Well, as far as I know, no one's been near them. Finn's been in a coma since we brought him up here, and I've been here too and I didn't hear anyone come in." Piper said not even turning her head to look at Aerrow now.

The pair sat there together for another minute or so before speaking again. They had been so close to getting off Terra Marks, and just like that, they were back to square one.

Piper got up from her seat on the bed and stood in front of Aerrow, hands on her hips "So?" she said "Where do we go from here."

Aerrow smiled a little, "Well we're not going anywhere that's the point, weren't you listing Piper?"

To this, Piper leaned forward and delivered a quick punch to Aerrow's stomach "Don't be a smart ass." She said as she turned her back to Aerrow and started unpacking again.

Aerrow recoiled slightly but still chuckled slightly at his joke, "Sorry, but you've got to admit you set me up a little bit." He said as he raised himself up off of the bed and into a standing position.

Piper only snorted slightly in response, "Whatever, but seriously, what are we going to do about all of this?" She said with her face slightly more stern.

"Well…" Aerrow said, "There isn't much we can do. We can ask Croft to order another crystal shipment from Terra Rex and then after that, we just have to wait again." Aerrow walked around the room until he was once again look Piper in the eye when he spoke to her.

Piper nodded, she had understood that that was their only option at this point but it still stung like acid to actually hear the words laid out before her. Piper was normally a very patient person, but even she had her limits. They'd been on plenty of Terras for extended periods of time before, but Terra Marks was defiantly the smallest and the most uninteresting.

Piper smiled slightly "I guess there really isn't an argument to this is there?"

Aerrow smiled back "Not really, pretty much a one sided deal."

Piper laughed a little and looked out the window at the sunshine now beginning to pour through the window. "At least it's not a bad day to get stranded."

He nodded back at her "I'll see you later; I'm going to get Finn to help us search the Condor again before we shut her down for the day."

After Aerrow had exited her room, Piper turned once again to her research. Over the past few days, Piper had been trying to find any kind of record of something that could help Finn comprehend Silence.

She understood very well that Finn could be a little eccentric at times, but she also could recognize when Finn was being completely serious. His reaction earlier that morning had only proved that fact to her.

When the team had saved Dove almost five years ago, Piper had seen just how attached Finn had gotten to her. The looks that he would send her way and how excited he would get when they went to visit Terra Gale.

They had seemed to be fond of each other. Dove would always embrace Finn warmly whenever they visited and they had spent countless minutes in each others' company laughing and sharing stories.

But of course, during their last visit they had heard the news of Dove's sudden engagement and Finn's heart had been crushed. Piper would never forget the look on Finn's face when Dove said the word 'fiancé'. All light had been extinguished from his previously vibrant eyes and all color drained from his cheeks; Finn had then politely excused himself from their home, and walked almost robotically back to his cabin on the Condor.

Over an hour later Piper had gone to check on him. She had pressed her ear to his door and heard a sound that almost broke her heart as well. It had been the only time Piper had ever really heard Finn cry. His sobs had sounded incredibly pained like he was trying desperately to fight them back.

All his life Finn just wanted to be strong; Strong for his parents whom he had lost, strong for his team, and strong for those who were still fighting just for survival. He gave all he had, and emotionally, got noting back in return. And he had been okay with that, he may joke around a lot but he really did want to see the people of Atmos live full lives that were not torn apart by Cyclonis and her talons.

To Finn, Dove had been someone who could understand him; she had fought for survival, just as Finn had. He had felt a connection with her that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he would have given anything to be able to mutually share that with her.

But in the end, Finn was left to fight yet another battle and hope that his heart could one day grow to be whole once again.

What Piper could see happening between Finn and Silence was something even stronger than what Finn had had for Dove. Their paths had been intertwined for a reason, and Finn damn well knew it. And this time, he wasn't going to let it go.

So Piper had been trying to help find some way to help, but as of late, nothing had turned up in her research.

By the time Piper came out of her thoughts, Aerrow had already collected Finn and were in route to the Condor. She put the rest of her notes back on top of the dresser where they had been resting for the last few days and exited the suite to join the others at the docks.

* * *

Finn couldn't believe his luck, out of nowhere he had been given more time with Silence. He still had time to help her find a way off this rock. There was nothing that could dampen his disposition that day, for the first time in days he could see the sun and feel its warm caress against his skin.

Even though they were stranded once again, the rest of the Storm Hawks seemed to be in relatively good spirits, after being stuck on a terra that seemed to bring nothing but gloomy weather for as long as they had, they couldn't help but be a little happy.

They were all sitting on the grass in front of the docks just looking at the Condor. For the last hour they had all searched high and low for the crystals but their search came up empty. So now there was nothing left to do but wait.

Footsteps were heard running across the sun-soaked ground. "My friends!" Croft called to them as he came jogging up.

Finn turned to see Croft jogging towards them; he winced slightly as the sunlight caught in the crystal that hung from his neck reflected into his eyes. He too seemed in good spirits that day for a brilliant smile decorated his handsome face.

"My friends I just spoke with our suppliers from Terra Rex, they said that if these conditions hold they should have the next shipment here within forty eight hours." Croft said as he came to a halt in front of the team, his long hair falling slightly from its ponytail.

This caused the moods of the team to lift even higher. Except Finn who knew he had to work quickly to come up with a plan for Silence.

For the rest of the day the Storm Hawks remained outside enjoying the rare laps of rain. Croft and Aerrow had moved a small table out onto the lawn in front of the inn so they could play cards. The team shared stories of some of their adventures with Croft as well; he seemed very enthused and told them that he wanted to one day purchase a carrier ship and explore the Atmos.

As the day reached its end the teammates all retreated to their rooms and one by one, began to drift into deep sleeps that, for the first time in days, would not be rudely interrupted by a violent storm raging outside.

Finn stared up at the ceiling, hands tucked behind his head as he went over the days' events once more in his mind. All and all he had had a very enjoyable day. He would have tried to look for Silence and tell her the news but Croft had told him that she had awoken that morning to a severe headache and was in her bed resting. He thought it best not to argue, even though his trust for the man was still lacking. He looked forward to spending time with her the next day and working out a plan to save her from being trapped on Terra Marks for the rest of her life.

And it was with this hopeful thought in his mind that Finn drifted off into sleep.

But elsewhere in the inn, there was one person who was not yet asleep. Croft stood silently behind his desk organizing some paperwork. His face was emotionless as he sifted through order forms, booking information, and messages from other terras. As he lifted his head slightly to look at the clock on the other side of the room he noticed an abnormal reddish glow reflecting on the wall opposite him. He looked down at the crystal that adorned his neck and saw that the once deep blue crystal was now glowing a brilliant crimson color.

He let out a large sigh and hastily shoved all the papers into a drawer in the desk. He brought a hand up to touch the now blood red crystal before quickly walking the length of the lobby and roughly threw open the doors and exited the inn into the warm night.

* * *

Down the terra at the diner Silence sat huddled in one of the booths, huddled over her sketch book, scribbling frantically at one of the pages. But something was different; the drawing on the page was actually clearly recognizable. As Silence stared down at her book, Croft's face began to stare back at her. His face so clearly drawn it might have been a photograph.

Silence knew she didn't have much time; she never did when this happened. She had to get as much down as she could while she was able to.

But panic was starting to set in. Every whistle of wind from outside sounded like his whisper in her ear, every groan from the old building sounded like footsteps coming closer and closer to her.

Her hair was falling from the bun she had had it in that day and her eyes were bulging from her head as she worked quickly and carefully, _"I have to make him understand." _She thought over and over to herself as she worked.

Just as she was finishing her sketch she heard the one sound she had been praying she wouldn't hear. The unmistakable sound of the door opening met Silence's ears. Her blood ran cold and chills went racing up and down her spine. She had her back was facing the person but there was no doubt in her mind who it was. She quickly turned the page of her book to one that showed nothing more than a few unrecognizable scribbles of color.

As the footsteps got closer and closer Silence was becoming more aware of how loud she was breathing and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears.

"I thought I told you to burn that wretched thing." A monotone voice said coolly in Silence's ear. She gave no response.

Silence only turned slightly and saw Croft standing behind her, his expression as cold as a block of ice. When he saw her frightened demeanor he only gave a soft chuckle. "Why so pale sister? You look as though you are guilty of something." Croft looked over Silence's shoulder at her sketch book, still lying open on the table.

He walked out from behind her and snatched up the book from the table. With the book in his hand, Croft walked behind the counter as he flipped through the pages. After a moment he stopped and grimaced as his own face stared back at him. He showed her the sketch and quicker than Silence could blink, Croft flipped the gas stove on full blast and threw her book on top of the rising flame.

Silence closed her eyes as her work shriveled and burned. "Do you think this is a game?!" Croft yelled at her from behind the counter, "You belong to me you worthless piece of shit! I OWN YOU!" He took a large pot from under the counter and hurled it at her head.

"You think a sketch will get that boy to understand? If you're counting on that idiot to save you don't hold your miserable breath." He said with acid in his voice. Silence put her hands up in time to cushion most of the blow from the pot but it still sent a sharp pain up from her head.

"That bruise on your face will be the least of your worries if you keep this up Silence. In two day's he'll be gone and you can't stop it." Croft said bitterly.

Croft spit in her direction before flipping the stove off and exiting through the door behind the counter, slamming in loudly as he left. And as he did, Silence could once again feel her mind go foggy as tears fell quietly from her eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, there's chapter 8, wow didn't think I'd ever get this far XD Like I said, not too many more chapters till the end (maybe) so keep with me. Reviews are my sunshine ya'll so don't make me have to write on a cloudy day. Hope to get chapter 9 up real soon so keep checking in, see ya'll next time!!

Peace&Love


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Please forgive me for not updating, I feel like a horrible person and I'm really sorry. It's just that since we're getting into the end of the story we're coming to parts of it that I've known I was gonna put in since the very begining. And I wanted it to be perfect, this story means a lot to me and I wanted that to show. So I hope you guys will accept my deepest apologies. And to say sorry, I combined chapter 9 with what would have been chapter 10 so it would be extra long as a thank you for waiting so long =) So, on another note: I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last, accept for the epilogue. I can't believe this is chapter nine, I never imagined this idea would get so far, and for that I would like to thank every last one of my readers who have kept me going and it's because of you guys that this has made it so far. So, I would like to dedicate this chapter to you. You who have taken the time to read this, you made this chapter and every chapter before. So thank you. Let's begin shall we?

* * *

"I have been in a cage for so long, I have never truly lived. When you come for me, I wonder if I'll even survive. They told me I would never be able to leave but I hope that you will prove them wrong. Let the nightmare end and the dream begin."

* * *

Finn and the others awoke the next day to have their joyful spirits fall slightly at the sight of the sky. It was no longer alive with the brilliant shine of the sun but instead, dull and gray with overcast clouds drifting idly overhead.

But even though the weather was once again grim Finn kept his thoughts bright with thoughts of a new life beginning soon. Silence will get to start over, and this time it'll be the right way.

The team sat together eating their breakfast, watching the clouds pass slowly by the windows. As they did so Croft entered the dining room, his face seemed stern and his movements were brisk and harsh.

Finn hoped this didn't interfere with his plans to see Silence again that day, he didn't need days of planning to go to waste because of one man's sour mood.

Nevertheless Finn decided to go for it "Morning Croft, is Silence around? I was hoping to finish a story I was telling her about Terra Saharr." Finn was even beginning to surprise himself with how much his acting skills had improved recently.

Croft's eyes seem to twitch slightly at the question "No." He said quickly, his voice cracking as he did so. "No, I'm afraid not. Unfortunately my sister has become ill once again, confining her to her room." All the while Croft's voice was stern and his golden eyes looked haggard.

"That's too bad." Piper said sweetly "We give our condolences." Croft only nodded slightly in thanks, his face still lacking any kind of emotion.

Finn wasn't sold on Croft's story. As each day passed he trusted this man less and less. He wasn't sure if the others could tell but he sure could.

The rest of the morning passed by uneventfully, all of the Storm Hawks save Finn had decided to relax in the suite for most of the day as there was nothing to do around the terra. Plus the cloudy atmosphere was putting everyone in a bit of a sour mood.

Finn had decided on sitting beneath Silence's usual tree. Just lounging and looking out over the cloud line.

Coming to Terra Marks had really changed Finn. He looked at things differently now. Since he was young, Finn saw sadness as a weakness. His parents had been strong fighters and he never remembered them ever breaking down.

So when they were killed Finn made it his reason in life to keep that part, that strength, alive through him. And so, to keep himself from succumbing to all the pain that the Atmos so frequently threw at him, Finn hid behind his 'Casanova' demeanor.

But as Finn sat there, he began to rethink his idea of strength. Only after a few more moments Finn was able to come to a conclusion. His snarky 'come on' to everyone act was not strength, to him it was cowardice.

But being here made him remember all the people he and the Storm Hawks had met over the years. Those people had gone through just as much as Finn had and weren't afraid to hide it. They pushed through the suffering and never lost sight of their true selves.

Finn did like to entertain, that much was clear to anyone who met him. But what a lot of people didn't understand was that he was deeper than that. He had a heart that knew quite well how to ache, how to love, and how to feel empty.

Every one of those people have strong hearts, a little weathered perhaps but pure all the same. Now Finn understood that being strong didn't necessarily mean being oblivious to what your heart is telling you.

Before any great battle, Aerrow would always remind them to "keep their weapons strong and their hearts stronger". Whenever he said this, Piper would always get a little teary-eyed. Radarr would wrap himself a bit tighter around Aerrow's shoulders. Junko would get this fiery look in his eyes, and hold himself taller than he normally would. Even Stork seemed to become calm to an extent whenever Aerrow said those words.

Finn felt now, that he had made a true connection within himself that he had been suppressing since the demise of his parents. Silence had helped him break through and reach his true self. And for that, he owed her all the happiness in the world, and he would give her that gift even if it killed him.

Finn sat there under that tree for a good few hours, Just thinking about his life, of all that had been, and all that was still to come. The future was open, and Finn was going to make sure he lived it to the fullest.

As Finn continued to sit, arms tucked behind his head and his body leaning up against Silence's tree, the soft sound of footfall began to make itself known.

When the sound became audible to Finn he looked up and his eyes met with a sight that nearly stopped his young heart.

Silence was limping her way towards him. It looked as though she was trying to jog but some kind of pain was preventing her from doing so successfully, reducing her to making this kind of galloping motion as she made her way forward. Above her eye was a thin cut that looked to be relatively fresh, and the faint traces of new bruises were showing on her face.

Her long slivery hair was flowing freely and looked as wild as a sky shark. Her beautiful deep azure eyes were puffy and swollen. She looked as though she had just come face to face with Cyclonis herself.

Finn immediately shot up from his place beneath the tree to meet her. "Silence!" He yelled out as he ran to her and took her in his arms. He helped her sit down upon the ground and he cradled her gently for a moment while she caught her breath.

"F-Finn" She stuttered her voice slightly raspy and dry "P-Please He-Help." She gripped tightly at his shoulder causing him to wince slightly, but he didn't care, all that mattered to him at the moment was the woman he now held in his arms.

"Of course" He replied "Anything, what do you need me to do?" His voice was soft and kind. Much more so than Finn ever thought was possible for him to muster.

Silence began to push herself away from Finn and attempt to stand back up. She stumbled but Finn caught her before she had a chance to fall back down to the earth. "The d-diner" she said weakly "E-Empty, only t-t-time." She took a step forward and out of Finn's embrace yet again, but this time she did not stumble.

"W-What?" It was Finn's turn to stutter, why in the world would she need to go to the dinner. But Silence motioned for Finn to follow and he didn't oppose. She had all of Finn's trust, if she said the diner was where Finn needed to go, the he would go.

And so they did, with one of Silence's arms draped across Finn's shoulder for support as they walked across the terra to the diner. "Finn" Silence said looking up at him "Thank you, for everything" Her voice was no longer quivering and a small amount of color had returned to her cheeks.

Finn stopped them in their tracks, just a few yards short of the diner's entrance. He put a hand on her cheek and softly brushed away some stray hair and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned down to her and delicately brushed his lips against her cheek. "I should be the one thanking you." He said with a smile.

Finn's face quickly fell however as he once again saw all of the bruises and cuts that decorated her face. "I'm going to stop this." He said looking her straight in the eye.

To this Silence only nodded, as if there was no doubt in her mind that Finn would keep that promise. "We must go…isn't much time." She took his hand in hers and led him to the door of the diner.

When they entered Finn saw that or the first time since their arrival of the terra, the diner was completely vacant. An eerie quiet filled all corners of the establishment, leaving Finn feeling quite uncomfortable.

Silence on the other hand seemed confident in their reason for being there. Finn was still nervous "Where is everyone?" he said looking at her. He saw the corners of her mouth twitch a little "Distraction." She said smoothly.

Finn laughed. Even if she was stifled she was still cunning as anyone Finn had ever met. Silence turned in the direction of the counter and led Finn behind it. They stood before the small wooden door that Silence herself had run through that first day they had seen each other.

Silence released Finn's hand and pushed open the door, beyond which was a tunnel that led underground. _"A cellar?" _Finn asked himself.

The walls were narrow and made of stone, there were a few lamps that hung overhead but they only cast enough light to give the passage a ghostly feel. Finn felt a chill run up his spine.

"There's something you need see." She said softly to him, sensing his apprehension.

Finn sighed then nodded as he looked back at Silence, her kind and beautiful face was all the motivation he needed.

Finn made his way down first. The path was so narrow he almost had to turn himself sideways just to keep his arms from scraping the walls. Silence stayed right on his heels, she may have seemed confident to Finn but in reality this place terrified her. But with Finn here, her fear wasn't as great.

After a few minutes of walking they reached the end of the tunnel, and what now lay before them was a sight Finn couldn't believe. The path had opened up and revealed a great cavern that rivaled the inn's lobby in size.

There were desks all around them, stacked high with papers and books and strange looking contraptions that looked as though some of them might even be weapons.

But what took Finn's breath away was what stood in the center of the stronghold. A machine that looked reminiscent of Master Cyclonis's storm engine. Only on a much larger scale and with a chamber on the bottom that looked big enough to fit a full sized man inside.

And painted on the side of this evil looking machine was the symbol of Cyclonia, plain as day. "Oh shit." Finn said, not even bothering to whisper.

"Croft." Finn heard Silence say from her place behind him.

"So, he's been working for Cyclonis this whole time." Finn shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this. We all missed it, Aerrow, Piper, all of us."

Finn began to walk around, looking at the contents of the desks. The papers contained information that looked to date back over twenty years; diagrams, letters, crystal notes, everything.

Finn passed one desk that caught his eye. On it were only two things, one looked like an old log book. The other was one of those strange weapons that were scattered all over the room. The more Finn looked at the object the more familiar it looked.

Then he remembered, he had heard of these things. They were a new invention that were said to be more effective than any of the weapons in use by sky knight squadrons. This one was called a pistol, if Finn's memory served him correctly.

He had read that it was similar to Finn's crossbow but the projectiles that came from the pistol were far smaller and even more lethal.

Even the sky knight counsel had banned them from use within squadrons because of the cruelty they inflicted. The pistols launched tiny spherical shards of crystal at dizzying speeds into whoever was unlucky enough to fall into the path of one. The foreign object would break bones and puncture organs from the inside, causing intense pain.

Just then, Finn and Silence both heard the sound of the door of the tunnel passageway open and someone making their way down the stone steps towards them.

Silence looked horrified, Finn knew she had taken a great personal risk at even thinking of bringing Finn down here, and it would mean a fate worse than death if anyone caught her.

Finn had grabbed the journal with one hand and with the other pulled Silence to a spot hidden from view of the landing of the stairs. In the crevice of a pair of overlapping rocks, they hid in complete stillness waiting for the person to show themselves.

Croft came into view as he walked into the room. "Damn girl, that pipe bursting was her doing I know it."

"Pipe?" Finn whispered

Even though her fear was great, Silence smirked a little at this comment "Distraction." She whispered back.

But the two froze as Croft started coming closer to their hiding spot. He seemed to be headed to the desk that Finn had just examined. His heart skipped a beat and the weight of the journal in his hand suddenly became very apparent. He prayed to every divinity he could think of to keep Croft from noticing the absence of the journal.

When Croft reached the desk however, he seemed to not even take into account all that was on it. His back was facing Finn and Silence but from what they could make out, it looked as though he just shuffled through some drawers for a moment taking a few stray papers. And then, just as fast as he had come, he was gone.

Finn let out a sigh of relief, then, after waiting a few extra minutes after the sound of Croft's footsteps had faded away, he took Silence by the hand once again. "Come on" He said to her "Were gonna go tell the others about this." He then held up the book in his hand "Maybe there's something in here we can use as evidence."

Silence nodded as they headed back up the tunnel, out the diner, and towards the direction of the inn. They ran as swiftly and as silently as they could. If Croft was still around, they certainly didn't want him to see them together.

As soon as they got to the front door of the inn Finn told Silence to hang back for a moment to see if the coast was clear. Once Finn had looked high and low for any residents of Terra Marks that may be lurking in the shadows, he signaled for Silence to follow him. And together they ran as fast as they could up the stairs to the landing of the top floor.

Finn reached into his pocket and took out his key to the room and opened the door and swiftly ushered Silence inside. The rest of the Storm Hawks looked startled at the pair of out-of-breath teenagers that had just burst though the door.

"I-Is Croft around?" Finn asked, stuttering slightly as he fought to regain control over his breathing.

"No," Aerrow said stepping forward "He, and most of the residents went to fix a pipe that burst in one of the homes not too far from here." Aerrow's expression tensed a little "Why? Is something wrong, is she okay?" He motioned at Silence who was still hanging off of Finn's arm as she wheezed a little from the exertion it took to run all the way to the suite.

Piper came out from behind Aerrow and helped Silence make her way to the kitchen to get her something to drink. Finn nodded in thanks and flashed a kind smile at Silence as Piper led her away.

"She's fine; Croft is who we should be worried about." Finn looked as stern as Aerrow had ever seen him "Aerrow… he's working for Cyclonia."

Everyone in the room froze in their tracks; the only sound audible was the sharp intake of breath that Aerrow took. "Th-That's impossible…" He whispered more to himself then to Finn.

From his place in the corner of the room Stork let out a large sigh, his face was strangely confident "I told you." Was all he said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you sure Finn?" Junko asked, he looked horrified and was hoping that Finn was just joking around and he would burst out into one of his laughing fits at any moment now.

But there was no laughter. There was not even a small chuckle; the air was still all around them. "We brought proof." Finn said as he freed the journal from his back pocket.

He tossed it to Aerrow who caught it with ease and stared down at the object, and what he saw starring back at him was the symbol of Cyclonia.

Aerrow was frozen from a combination of shock and rage. Piper saw this and gently helped Silence to the couch before coming up and taking the journal from his hands, she smiled softly at him as she did so.

She then directed her attention back onto the book, she herself let out a small sigh before saying "Well let's have a look then." She crossed the room again and took a seat beside Silence on the couch and opened up the log on the coffee table in front of her.

The others slowly made their way over as well. Finn sat down on Silence's other side and once again laced their fingers together. Aerrow sat on the couch opposite and Radarr came and sat on his lap. And even Stork came and sat down beside Aerrow. Junko took a chair by himself that was still close enough for him to hear Piper.

Piper turned to the first entry dated some twenty years ago and began to read.

_This is the log of Amadeus Thatcher _

_February 18th 1989,_

_Master has given her orders. She says that I, along with a few other dozen talons will be embarking on the most important mission ever constructed. She has heard of a prophecy that speaks of a child being born with powers beyond imagination. An oracle spoke of it and through some of her talons, Master heard. Her parents are rebel fighters from Terra Atmosia; Master says that once they're out of the way, the path will be smooth. She is going to call this plan of hers "The Migration"_

_March 1st 1989,_

_Master Cyclonis has told those of us who are part of the migration that she has finally found a terra suitable to use as our new base. It's in stormy country so we can be sure that there won't be many disruptions. And it's small enough that it doesn't appear on any maps, so there will only be visitors when absolutely necessary. It may not be for a few more years, but in time, I will call that terra home._

_March 3rd 1989,_

_We were given more details about our mission today. Those of us who have been deemed fit enough for this mission will be required to start a new life on the strange terra while at the same time carrying out Master's grand plan for the domination of Atmos. When the child is finally born and within our possession we will take it to that terra and become 'pioneers' so to speak. We must build homes and camouflage the land to make it look as unassuming as any other terra in the Atmos. We must even find a 'mate' and start families that can carry on after our time has passed. Even Cyclonis herself has said that though she started this project, it will most likely be her granddaughter who will see the final result first hand. We will have to leave our lives on Cyclonia and start a new all for Master Cyclonis._

_September 29th 1989,_

_No one is allowed near the terra that will be our future home; Master says that if any sky knight got wind of cyclonians in that area they may take control of our terra, and that land is essential to the plan, so it is better not to risk it. Meanwhile I have found the woman who is going to be my 'wife'. Her name is Ibis if memory serves but it doesn't really matter. In any case she is already pregnant with the child that we will raise on the new terra. A proud father to be, I am not. But a proud talon; is a title I can truly claim as my own._

_June 23rd 1990,_

_I became a father today. My son was born into this world, a citizen of Cyclonia. But he will remember little of it once we have relocated. Ibis was more joyful than I; to be perfectly honest; I cannot even recall what she decided to name the child. To me this child was just another necessary step in Master's plan. Even if this boy would continue my legacy, for now this was my time, not the child's._

_ August 31st 1990, _

_ Master's oracle informed us of the child's conception this morning. The time was drawing nearer. But even so, these next few steps would be the most difficult. Once the child was born its parents can't be expected to go down without a fight. They are strong and have the Atmosian rebellion to fight along with them._

_ February 19th 1993,_

_ These years have been hard. After the child was born we made many attempts at trying to acquire her. All previous attempts had failed…until now. This was a most wondrous time for Cyclonia. The Storm Hawks, who had been a constant nuisance to Master Cyclonis, were brought down from the inside out and now lay cold and dead somewhere within the wastelands. And today, we staged our largest attack ever executed and brought hell to Terra Atmosia. The child's parents are dead. The migration takes place tomorrow evening. _

_ February 20th 1993,_

_ Ibis and I were chosen to foster the child once we arrived at what was now called Terra Marks. My son has grown and is more aware, but I continue not to care. It is the girl I care about, she is the key to Cyclonis's plan and I will make sure that key stays safely hidden until the time is right. That time, Master says, will come when the child has grown. Only then will the powers reveal themselves and become of any use to us. Until then, she must be kept safe. I was told today what the girl's powers will be like when she matures. Controlling the actions, thoughts, and memories of others is a power that currently dwells within this girl but will soon become that of Cyclonis. Master said she was in the process of creating a crystal that will stifle the girl's abilities when they begin to show themselves, but because of it being manufactured and not a crystal of natural origin, it may fade at times. But it will be the only one of its kind. She will send it to Terra Marks when the time is right._

_ I decided upon a name for the child today. It has a cruel meaning I suppose, but I believe the girl deserves it after all the grief her parents put Master Cyclonis through. Once the crystal begins to be used upon the girl she won't have much control over herself. But it is the price to pay to keep her from using her powers prematurely. So I called her Silence, for all the years she will spend. She will be a songbird without the ability to sing. It is a name fitting a creature like herself._

_ We said farewell to our beloved Terra Cyclonia only moments ago, we were ordered never to return. In case anyone grew suspicious. I watched my terra fade slowly away until I could no longer see her, Croft, my son, was pulling at my arm the whole time crying about something insignificant so I just ignored him. We were on our way… that was all that mattered._

_ February 20th 1999,_

_ Today marks the six year anniversary of our departure from Terra Cyclonia, and I spend it on my deathbed. Ibis died last summer when she went out on a supply run and was caught up in a violent storm and was lost. Croft, of course was heartbroken, but I didn't shed a single tear. Ibis had fulfilled her duty to her home terra, her usefulness had run out. My time is coming to a close as well; I lay here all day in my dimly lit room, waiting for death to come for me. Silence has grown and is now under the influence of Master's Stifle Crystal, the name she gave it. Only it was not presented by the master that I had come to know. Her granddaughter had gained power and was now Master Cyclonis. My master, as I had learned, passed a little while before Ibis. It must have been this grief that brought my ill health since that day I felt my purpose was done. I gave Croft the crystal and he used it with much amusement in his eyes. He feels great resentment for the girl that received all my affection over the years, so it was with great pleasure he watched her suffer under the power of the crystal. I must say, I've never been prouder to be the boy's father. He will do fine to carry out the mission._

_It is with great pride that I pass this log to my one and only son Croft. May you do the bidding of our master well my son._

_Amadeus Thatcher _

_This is now the log of Croft Thatcher, second generation of "The Migration" _

_ January 8th 2007,_

_ We've had trouble with Silence over the last few years. She sometimes breaks free of the Stifle Crystal's hold and can manipulate carrier ships into landing on Terra Marks in an attempt at freedom. Naturally all of her attempts have failed. I will show my father that I am worthy of Cyclonis's praise, the time is coming, and I will see this plan come to fruition. Soon we will amplify her power and will be able to control the entire Atmos. _

That was the last entre in the journal, dated nearly two years prior to the present date.

Piper closed the book and leaned back a little in her seat. Croft was Cyclonian; this whole terra was a conspiracy. They had to get off this terra, and fast.

Just then a gentle knocking was heard on the door. Aerrow jumped to his feet immediately ready for whoever was on the other side of the door, although he already had a fairly good idea as to who it was. "Hide Silence" he whispered at Piper, who nodded and quickly led Silence in the direction of her room.

But before they were even to Piper's room. The door of the suite was kicked in and on the threshold was Croft, his hair disheveled and his eyes wild with rage. "My friend," He said sneering "I do believe you have two things in this room that do not belong to you, and I'm going to be taking them back now." His eyes flickered in the direction of the table where the journal still lay.

And then he saw Silence, his face twisted with hate as he pulled something from behind his back. Finn's eyes widened in horror as he gazed upon one of the pistols he had seen in the underground stronghold.

Faster than most could think, Croft raised the weapon, took aim at Silence with as much precision as any sharp shooter. The corners of his mouth slightly rose as he pulled the trigger.

There was a sickening sound as the crystal fragment connected with human flesh. Aerrow and Finn, who had been closest, felt a few drops of warm liquid splash against their faces.

Croft was devastated at the sight before him, for it was not Silence's blood that had been spilt. No, there was another who was now lay crumpled at the feet of his intended target, drenched in their own blood. Croft cursed and took off at a sprint down the steps, he had missed his chance. Now it was time for plan B.

The Storm Hawks were horrified at what they had just seen. Besides Finn there was only one other person in the room that recognized the pistol and knew of the damage it could do, and that was the person who had shown the article to Finn. And it was that person who had seen the danger before anyone and was now bleeding from the crystal shard that was meant for Silence.

Piper was still conscious, but barely. Blood seemed to be gushing from everywhere, her dark skin was now coated in a layer of crimson.

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Author's Note: So, what do you think? I hope it was worth the wait and I promise the next one will be out much much sooner. And if I've done my calculations right, it will be the last official chapter of "The Nightmares of a Songbird" (wow no matter how many times I type that it's still weird) Thanks again everyone, and please review. Like I've said from the begining, I love to hear from all of you. Well, I guess that's it. I'll see you guys again in chapter 10 (holy crap!!!)

Peace&Love


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Well after ten chapters here we are. This is the last official chapter of "Nightmares of a Songbird" and to tell ya'll the truth, I did get a little teary after I finished it. But after you finish, don't forget me just yet, like I've said previously, there will still be an epilouge. I would like to thank everyone who's been with me from the begining. This was my first fanfic and it means a lot that people have enjoyed it. So, with that, I present you with the final chapter... (btw i made it extra long for you guys:D )

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"The day is now; the choice is to be made in this moment. We will either fly or fall. Our destinies are intertwined, and now, that bond must be put to the test. But all that matters is that you came for me, you gave me the strength to fight my fate."

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To Finn, the last few minutes had been nothing more than a blur. The only things his mind was registering were the swift movements of his feet through the corridors of the inn, and the erratic beating of his now aching heart. That bastard was going to pay. All he had done to Silence and now Piper…he was going to wish he'd never fired that shot.

Finn's face hardened even more as he forced himself to speed up even more, unaware of the tears flooding down his cheeks. He'd just seen his best friend shot in the back. His heart was twisted in so many different directions Finn wasn't sure if it would ever feel normal again. When he made it to the staircase he seemed to fly as he pushed himself to get to Croft before he could make his next move.

But Finn was very certain that when he did catch him, there would be no chance at redemption. This would end today, this sick Cyclonian compound and the devil leading the troops will all fall.

The Storm Hawk's suite now stank with the stench of blood. It seemed like before Piper had even hit the ground Aerrow had rushed to her side. Stork had been behind him and rushed to check Piper's pulse.

Finn had taken off after Croft and had done so with pure fury burning in his tear swollen eyes. He was out for blood.

"She's alive, but barely." Stork had said speaking mainly to Aerrow who looked as though his heart had been torn from his chest and thrown into the wastelands. "Aerrow, we've got to get her to a hospital she won't last long on this terra."

Aerrow already knew that but wasn't sure how to get airborne, they were still missing half a crystal supply. Aerrow looked at the girl in his arms her amber eyes were flickering as she fought to stay conscious. Their eyes met for a moment and her gaze seemed to steady slightly.

Aerrow now knew that all these years he had kept quiet about how he felt about her, he'd been foolish. Damn Cyclonis and damn her stupid war. She was no more ruler of the Atmos than Aerrow was, so why should he give her control over any aspect of his life? If he loved Piper then he should be true to his feelings not overwhelmed by fear of Cyclonis.

But now Aerrow wasn't sure he would get the chance to say anything. He felt hot tears begin spilling uncontrollably over his cheeks again. He tried to blink them away until he felt a hand reach up and wipe them away. With one hand still supporting her back, Aerrow reached up with the other and lightly took Piper's hand from his face and caressed it gently with his thumb.

"Aerrow…" He heard her say, her voice raspy and strained.

Aerrow bent down and softly kissed her forehead "Shhh" he said to her "You're going to make it worse." For Aerrow that was only half the reason he had quieted her, he really didn't want her to put any more strain on herself but also, he wasn't going to let her resign herself to saying any goodbyes just yet.

But Piper seemed to agree and swallowed the rest of her sentence before focusing on her own breathing which she wanted to keep strong and steady.

Stork came back into Aerrow's view, several rolls of bandages in his arms. He knelt down and was startled for a moment at how much blood was coating the floor but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind.

Stork examined Piper's wound and let out a small sigh of relief. The crystal looked as though it had entered in the direction of her rib cage but thankfully, hadn't gone straight through into her lungs. Instead it looked as though the crystal fragment collided with a rib and was deflected in a downward direction and had exited Piper's body through her side.

Stork quickly glanced behind him and sure enough there was the bloody fragment lodged in the wall next to the TV. That was good, Piper was still at risk for bleeding out, but they wouldn't be entirely sure until they got Piper to a hospital.

All of a sudden Finn burst back into the room shutting the door quickly behind him. He looked worried and out of breath. "Weapons" he said panting "Now!"

Everyone looked startled "Finn what happened?" Junko asked from his place behind Aerrow where he had been quietly sobbing to himself. "Croft" Finn answered bitterly.

"He's got the whole terra armed and ready for a fight." He said as he looked around the room for his crossbow. "We have to bring this place down." The only problem, was finding out how to do that. At the very least they had to destroy the machine that was underneath the diner.

Even the journal had had no direct mention of the contraption Finn had figured that it had something to do with Silence's ability to manipulate others. If Cyclonis can influence everyone in the Atmos, there won't be much of a war, it'll become a massacre.

Just then, Finn's mind suddenly gave birth to an idea. He looked for Silence and found her curled in a ball along one of the back walls of the kitchen, her eyes were red and swollen, and her silvery hair was disheveled and was in some places, plastered to her tear-stained face.

The last enter in the journal stated that Silence sometimes "manipulated" carrier ships into landing on the terra. If that was the case, then she must have done something with the missing crystals in an attempt at keeping them grounded in order to help her.

Finn was astonished at how fast his brain had been able to work these days.

"Silence?" Finn asked softly as he approached her. "Silence we need your help." She looked in his direction but still was speechless. So Finn sat down beside her and put a hand of her shoulder, he hadn't realized until just then but she was trembling slightly. Finn's heart throbbed. He leaned in closer to her and kissed her cheek "It's not your fault you know. None of this is your fault."

Silence let out a quick little sob but quickly stifled it. Finn wrapped his arm across both her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. "We can end this." He whispered "All of us can get out, but we need you to tell us where the crystals are. And we'll use them to get you out of this place for good, I promise."

Silence nodded and pulled away from Finn. She closed her eyes as if trying to recollect the location of the crystals. But when she opened her eyes they were out of focus and glassy.

If Finn had seen an action like that a few weeks ago he'd be yelling for a medic. But since coming to Terra Marks, Finn had learnt to roll with punches like these.

When Silence's eyes began coming back into focus Finn heard Stork cry out from the other room where he'd just finished bandaging Piper's wounds. "THE CRYSTALS!" he cried "I WAS THE ONE WHO HID THEM!" Finn chuckled then looked amusedly back at Silence.

"You manipulated Stork into hiding the crystals then erased his memory." Silence nodded and Finn laughed whole heartedly at the situation. He then stood up pulling Silence to her feet as well. "Come on" he said to her "We need to make a plan."

The pair reentered the living area to see Stork scribbling madly on a piece of paper, all the different locations of their missing crystal stock. Including the ones the supplier from Terra Rex had delivered. He had wrapped Piper's wounds and Junko had carried her to the sofa which was where she now rested.

Silence stayed with Stork to make sure he didn't overlook any crystal locations while Finn went over to check on Piper. Aerrow was still by her side, she had requested to hear the contents Croft's journal once again, so he had offered to read it to her. He paused however when Finn approached.

"How's she doing?" Finn asked with a large amount of concern. He glanced over to the floor where Piper had been laying; the extremely large pool of her blood was still an ominous reminder as to what could have happened.

"Fine for the time being" Aerrow said "Stork got the bleeding under control and thinks she only broke a rib or two, but she needs to get to a hospital." Although Aerrow was trying to keep calm about the whole situation, Finn could tell that on the inside, his friend was worried sick.

"Right" Finn concurred "We've got to clear a path so we can get everyone to the Condor and get the hell out of here." He said "It's going to be a bit of a fight though, I saw from the window of the lobby that Croft was rallying the whole terra for war."

Finn stood and took his crossbow once again and looked to see how much ammo he had. Radarr, who had been pleasantly curled at Piper's feet, hopped up from his place and retrieved Aerrow's energy blades from where he'd dropped them when Croft had shot Piper. He brought them back to Aerrow, who accepted gratefully and patted his copilot on the head in thanks.

Aerrow looked around at everyone in the room; his family. They'd been to hell and back on several occasions and they were about to do it again. "Storm Hawks" Aerrow said with all the authority of a sky knight commander "Suit up; we're fighting our way out of here."

The team all gave a quick cheer of approval and quickly dispersed to gather weapons and ammo. Finn took Silence to give her a crash course in crystal use so she'd have a way to defend herself.

Aerrow stayed back to help Piper to her feet. They were going to need as much cover as possible so she was going to have to try to make it to the Condor without being carried.

"Junko and Stork will hang back and cover you and Silence." Aerrow said to her "While Finn and I go ahead and try to thin things out for you." He helped her stand but for now she was using the wall for support.

"Aerrow" She whispered. It hurt if she tried talking much louder than that. "I need my staff." She pointed in the direction of her room.

Aerrow was a little shocked. He knew Piper could be a little headstrong at times but he didn't think she would even consider picking up a weapon while she was in the state she was in. "Piper a crystal fragment was just shot into your chest. Even the recoil from a blast from your staff would probably break another rib. You're sitting this one out." Aerrow was dead serious. He'd already seen her hurt badly enough in a single day to last him a lifetime, he couldn't take anymore.

"But Aerrow I-

"Piper that's an order" Aerrow was still the commanding officer of his squad and had the right as their leader to order them to do what was best for their wellbeing.

Piper was taken aback. She didn't expect Aerrow to have this strong of a reaction towards her request. He had been so steadfast he hadn't even let her tell the reason of why she needed her staff at all. But she understood why, she could see dark circles forming under his eyes and he looked exhausted from all the stress.

In the end, Piper knew that Aerrow would always be there for her. He always had been. That was what she had first come to admire about him, his sheer and unwavering will to protect others. He put himself in harm's way countless times so that someone other than himself could have a chance. And when she had found herself lying on a hotel floor, her chest burning with pain, and her body slowly soaking itself with its own blood, Aerrow had been the first one she saw.

She had come to understand many years ago that without Aerrow, she wouldn't have much of a life at all. His was the face she looked forward to seeing every morning, and the one that she dreamt about at night.

But being part of a squadron came with responsibilities that sometimes put relationships in a backseat position. They had all taken an oath to fight and protect in the name of the Atmos. And Piper held that oath in very high regard. They all did. Their lives had all been swept out from under them at a very early age because of Cyclonian power. It was important to all of them that they prevent that from happening again for as many other people as possible.

But at times, Piper's mind would wander from her research and she would think that if she were to tell him, if they could make it work. Or she would dream of the future. When the war would finally be over and the Storm Hawks could normal life for the first time since their youth. Piper wanted to badly to have time to spend with Aerrow. She really did love him, and a part of her heart would always belong to him no matter what the future had in store.

"Aerrow, you need to give my staff to Finn." Piper said softly her voice still raspy and strained regardless of the volume.

It was Aerrow's turn to look taken aback. All sternness that had shown on his face previously, melted away and was substituted with confusion. "Why?" He asked.

"Bring me my staff and get Finn and I'll explain it to you both." Piper said shifting herself slightly so she could brace the wall from a different position.

"Sure" Aerrow said, a little embarrassed he hadn't just let her finish her explanation in the first place. And he began making his way in the direction of her room.

"And Aerrow…?" She asked in his direction. "Yeah?" He asked back looking over his shoulder as he did so.

"Thank you for caring about me." She said a little softer than she had been speaking previously. Her head tilted downwards slightly so her hair would shield the soft color on her cheeks from view.

When he heard that, Aerrow surprised even himself when he walked back over to her and gently pressed his lips lightly against her forehead. "Always" He said when he pulled away and walked back to her room to fetch her staff and Finn.

Piper brought a hand up to touch the spot on her cheek. It was warm. Or maybe her hand was warm, or her whole body. Piper wasn't exactly sure but she didn't exactly care either. But before she knew it, Finn and Aerrow were both before her, Finn clutching her crystal staff per her request. It was back to business.

"Finn that journal you found said that the crystal Croft has been using on Silence was manufactured right?" Piper said

"Yeah… so?" Finn's brain was now lacking the velocity at which it had been traveling a few minutes ago.

Piper let out a sigh but then winced slightly as her ribs stung a bit. "So… it's extremely unstable. A direct hit from any kind of naturally conceived crystal blast should disrupt the synthetic stream of energy through the Stifle Crystal."

Finn's eyes spun in his head as he tried to keep up. Piper had a habit of speaking very fast when she got excited about something. So, judging from her speed, Piper was pretty impressed with herself right about now.

Piper looked at Finn expectantly, waiting for some kind of response to her statement like a "sounds good" or a "let's do it" but her hopes were in vain. Piper rolled her eyes at the boy. He had matured greatly these last few days but deep down, he'd always be Finn. She shook her head then looked back up at the pair "Finn I just got shot in the ribs and you're going to make me explain that again." Piper said with a small amount of true annoyance in her voice, mostly just amusement however.

Finn smiled; glad to see she still had a sense of humor under all those bandages. "Would you?" He asked sweetly.

Piper stuck her tongue out at him "In terms that you can understand Finn, shoot the Stifle Crystal." She explained quickly, in truth, talking really was beginning to wear her out

But Finn got the meaning and was ready to take this terra down. But he stopped for a moment "Wait" he said "How do we know what the thing looks like? The journal didn't give a description." Finn asked looking between Aerrow and Piper, hoping that one of them had an answer.

Piper did. "The Stifle Crystal is that dark blue crystal that Croft wears around his neck." She said matter-of-factly. "I noticed that there was something weird about that crystal when I first saw it up close the day we landed here. And when the journal said that he was running around with a manufactured crystal, I put the pieces together." Piper smiled slightly at her own discovery.

Finn nodded showing that he understood. _"This is it"_ He thought to himself as Junko and Stork both emerged from their rooms. Stork with his patented self-made armor body suit, and Junko now equipped with his knuckle busters and several turkey burps tied around his waist.

Aerrow looked around as well and saw that everyone was now ready and waiting for the fight to the Condor. "Alright" Aerrow said "Let's take this guy down and get off this rock for good."

And with that, the team set out. They took only the necessities, and figured that if it was possible, they would come back for their other belongings later. But before they departed, they all looked around the room one final time.

It was a bit surreal for them to think back to all that had happened in this room over the course of just a matter of days. They had taken shelter from squalls, played games, and enjoyed having some rare time off from their duties to the Atmos. But then in just the last few hours their suite had turned into a place full of horrifying memories that would last each of them a lifetime. There was now a large crimson stain on the wood flooring that held a menacing thought over all their heads.

Aerrow took a deep breath and shut the door behind them, blocking the room from further viewing. And together, the Storm Hawks and Silence made their way to the staircase. Junko offered to carry Piper down the many flights of stairs. She accepted gratefully as their journey to the Condor was going to be difficult enough for her to manage.

The group descended with as little sound as possible. It was not known if any talons were inside the building. But when they reached the ground floor, Radarr poked his head out and surveyed the area. After only a quick moment he turned back, chirped, and flashed thumbs up to Aerrow.

Aerrow nodded and motioned for everyone to advance into the lobby. He and Finn reached the windows by the front door and looked out over the terra. Finn had been right; every able-bodied talon on Terra Marks had been given a weapon and a mission to stop the Storm Hawks from escaping and returning Silence back to her captor.

Aerrow smirked and looked over at Finn. "Think you can handle this?" he asked jokingly.

The sharpshooter gave a quick snort of mock laughter. "Just try and keep up with me Aerrow." Finn moved to the front door and put a hand on the knob.

Aerrow and Radarr both joined him while Stork, Junko, Piper, and Silence all hung back. Finn took a deep breath and his grip on his crossbow tightened; he could also feel the weight of Piper's crystal staff slung across his back.

There was a lot riding on this day, and Finn was truly frightened of the outcome. But he had to be strong. He had every reason to be strong, all of which were standing around him. His family and the girl he was prepared to give his life to protect. His life and reason, they all held a part of him and if something happened to a single one of them, Finn would never be whole again. And so, he would fight.

Finn smiled to himself as he turned the doorknob. "Chica-cha" he whispered before flinging open the door with all his might and taking aim of the first talon he saw. Behind him Finn heard a quick mumble that sounded like "We're all going to die." Finn's smile extended a little.

The talons that had been guarding the inn were all startled at the sudden appearance of their targets. Those closest to the door weren't left standing for very long. Almost immediately Finn simultaneously took aim and fired at three of them, leaving them unconscious.

Aerrow had been right behind him and jumped up and began slashing his energy blades so rapidly, another five talons dropped to the ground before they'd even had a chance to raise their weapons.

But before long, the remaining talons raised their weapons and began fighting back. Blasts from crystal staffs began raining down on them. But Aerrow and Finn were able to sufficiently block the bulk of the attack.

After a few more talons fell, Junko, Stork, and the girls came to join them. Junko's knuckle busters were already active when a stray talon attempted a sneak attack from what he thought would be the wallop's blind spot. Unlucky for him however, Junko didn't have much of a blind spot and the talon received a swift punch to the gut and was sent flying. Junko winced at the force of his attack and even said a quick "sorry" to the man who had not yet hit the ground.

Piper was sticking close to Junko with one hand held over her ribcage as she walked on beside him. Silence was just behind Piper, with a Blizzard Crystal held tightly in one hand and a Windstone Crystal in the other. Stork followed behind her with some of his handcrafted weapons at the ready.

The Storm Hawks fought valiantly. Finn, Aerrow, and Radarr at the front breaking up any large groups of talons that they came across. Junko, Stork, and occasionally even Silence, weren't far behind with their attacks on any stragglers that they left behind.

After several more minutes the Condor came into view and the motivation of the team spiked. They were almost to safety. But before Finn and Aerrow attacked the last large group of talons separating them from the Condor, they heard a scream ring out in the air.

Finn looked back to see Silence slung unconscious over the shoulder of the same man that Finn had talked to in the diner the first time he went searching for Silence. The man had come up from behind while Junko and Stork had been busy with two other men. He'd seen Piper limping and had shoved her roughly to the ground before coming at Silence from behind and hitting her in the back of the head, knocking her out cold.

"NO!" Finn yelled in desperation as he turned back in the direction of the man and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. Junko had tried running after the man as well but had been blown off his feet when the man shot a blast from a crystal staff that hit Junko in the gut. Stork had gone to tend to Piper, whose wound seemed to have re-opened from the impact of hitting the ground, for her bandages were slowly turning a deep shade of scarlet.

"Get Piper to the Condor and prepare for launch!" Finn shouted as he ran past. His eyes still focused straight ahead on the man who was on a course heading straight for the diner. _"Damn!" _Finn thought to himself. _"He's heading for that machine." _

The man glanced behind his shoulder and spotted Finn running at him. He shot a quick blast from his crystal staff in his direction. But Finn dodged the blast with ease and continued on his course.

The man cursed under his breath but turned back to look ahead as he reached his destination. He quickly entered the building and locked the door behind him before beginning his decent to the underground cavern.

The locked door did little to slow Finn's pace. All he had needed to do was shoot one of his arrows at the glass door to weaken it, and he was able to smash through it with ease. Without missing a beat, Finn leapt behind the counter and all but threw himself down the tunnel leading to where Silence was being held.

Finn could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He had to get Silence back; they were so close to saving her from this life she'd had to suffer through because of Cyclonis's plot. Losing her now was not an option. Finn would either save her now or die trying.

As Finn continued to descend the steps for the second time that day, his eyes began to cloud with tears once again. But the tears had not been given birth by sorrow, no; they were tears of pure unquestionable hatred. It was hatred that burned for the downfall of this twisted cyclonian plot, and the war that had fueled its conception. The women who had sat at the helm and watched amusedly as the Atmos tore itself apart with fear.

If Finn could bring this place down, it would be one less threat. It would be one less reason for the people of Atmos to lie awake at night wondering if they would live to see the sunrise. For Terra Marks this would be the end of a generation that had been fueled by lies and cruelty.

Finn slowed his paces as he neared the end of the tunnel. He knew that they would be expecting him, but if he could get one good shot in before he was discovered, he may gain an advantage.

Finn peered ahead of him and saw Croft and the man who had taken Silence; they were both huddled around the machine. Finn leaned in closer to try and listen to what they were saying but could not decipher any of the words from the distance he was at.

Finn cautiously crept behind one of the many desks that littered the floor. He was careful not to let Piper's staff hit anything that could cause him to give away his position. From where he was Finn had a perfect view of the back of Croft's head. Finn picked up his crossbow and using the scope, he took careful aim and pulled the trigger.

But as just as Finn fired, Croft, with lightning fast reflexes, grabbed the man that had carried Silence in, and used him as a shield against Finn's arrow. The arrow hit the man with deadly accuracy and he went limp. Croft tossed him aside onto the floor and a devilish grin crept across his face.

"Storm Hawk" He sneered in Finn's direction. Finn froze. "You're too late you know." He continued "In just a matter of minutes, this engine will absorb all the power from Silence body and propel it all across the Atmos. Any movement made will be under the control of Cyclonis herself."

With that said Croft ripped the crystal from his neck and inserted it into a slot on the machine and turned it like a key. The engine burst into life and the sounds of metal spinning and creaking filled the room.

And without warning, a bloodcurdling scream came from the small chamber at the base of the engine. Finn's blood ran cold; Silence was inside of the machine. He didn't have much time.

Finn bounded up from his position behind the desk and shot widely at Croft. But Croft dove to the ground to avoid the shots and in doing so, came across the crystal staff the other man had dropped. He snatched up off the ground and shot an onslaught of crystal blasts at Finn.

Finn dove behind another desk and quickly tipped it over for more cover. _"This isn't going to work!" _Finn thought as another crystal blast hit the toppled desk, pushing Finn back a few inches. He needed a faster way to get Silence out of that machine.

But before Finn could work out a solution, he felt his cover get picked up off of the floor and thrown to the other side of the room. "Peek-a-boo" An icy voice said from above him.

Finn looked up, but only just in time to be greeted with the sight of a heavy boot connecting with his face. Finn was thrown backward across the floor and he felt warm liquid beginning to gush from his nose.

"You pathetic little piece of scum." Croft began slowly walking towards Finn "You thought you could take away my destiny? The 'Migration' was the whole reason for my existence. And I'm not about to let some half-wit flyboy take that away from me."

Finn tried to rise but was kicked savagely in the stomach before he could even make an attempt. Again and again Finn tried to stand but again and again Croft would hit him back down. Until Finn's body began screaming out in agony. His breath was shallow and pained.

Croft knelt down beside him and looked Finn straight in the eye "You know I could spare your pathetic life Storm Hawk. You're a decent shot, you could become a talon."

Finn spat in his face.

Croft was livid, Finn tried to reach for his crossbow but Croft kicked it away, then grabbed Finn by the collar and pulled him up to eye level. Croft was a few inches taller than Finn, so his feet were now suspended in the air. Croft was unrecognizable, his face was covered with sweat and grime, his hair was sticking out in every direction, and his expression was primal.

He then hurled Finn clear to the opposite end of the room. Finn hit the floor hard and let out a yelp of pain as Piper's staff stuck him in the back. But his cry was drowned out however as the machine gave another lurch and Silence screamed in agony once again.

Finn couldn't take much more of this and he knew that Silence couldn't either. He had to think of something to safe both their lives, and fast. Finn shifted a little and felt Piper's staff jab him in the back. He had forgotten all about it, at least now he would have a weapon.

_"Wait!" _Finn thought all of a sudden. He sat up and quickly looked around at his surroundings. From where Finn had been before, all he could see of the machine was the chamber that Silence was being kept in, but from here, Finn could see the Stifle Crystal sticking up from its place in the slot of the machine.

Finn remembered what Piper had said to him when he had taken her crystal staff from Aerrow back in the room. If the Stifle Crystal was hit directly from a blast from a natural crystal, it should disrupt the flow of energy. This was Finn's last shot at getting both himself and Silence out of here alive.

He reached behind him and unlatched the staff from his back and stood up from the ground to get a better view. Unfortunately, Croft saw Finn stand and let out a cry of anger and began weaving his way through the desks to get to him.

Finn held his breath, and shot the blast of crystal energy towards the machine. Croft froze in his tracks as he caught sight of Finn's target "NOO!" he screamed running in the direction of his precious machine.

But the blast connected and the Stifle Crystal began to malfunction. And because its power source was malfunctioning, the machine began to as well. It began shaking sending sparks of energy through the air, which struck the walls of the cavern causing them to begin to crumble.

Croft ran to the mechanism and began trying desperately to remove the remnants of the crystal from the slot. Finn re-strapped Piper's staff to his back sprinted past Croft, leaping over desks to get to the door of Silence's chamber.

Finn got there and wrenched the door open using the last of his strength and saw Silence lying crumpled on the floor. Finn dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse. It was there, it was weak, but she had a heartbeat.

Finn scooped her up into his arms and began fighting his way to the exit. But falling boulders and debris were making his journey more and more treacherous with every step he took. The whole terra was falling apart; they had to get out fast before the ceiling caved in on top of them.

Finn felt Silence stir in his arms and he let her stand on her own. If he couldn't make it, he didn't want to drag her down with him. And together they ran, up the stairs and out of the diner. Finn had lost track of Croft underground, but Finn was more concerned with getting Silence to the Condor before the terra crumbled into the wastelands.

While running across the grass Finn could see that the edges of the terra were beginning to crumble inward and the ground under his feet was beginning to feel more and more unstable. Occasionally a piece would fall in on itself and leave a gaping hole.

Silence glanced back over her shoulder and what she saw made her heart skip a beat. Croft was behind them his left arm was bloody and hung awkwardly off his body while his right hand was clasped around his crystal staff. He was gaining on them.

"Finn look!" Silence called up to him. Finn swore loudly when he glanced back over his shoulder. "Keep running!" He called back to her.

The Condor was within view now, they were almost home.

"STAND AND FIGHT STORM HAWK!" Finn heard Croft shout from behind them, followed by a sudden burning pain in his leg that caused him to come crashing to the ground. Silence slowed her pace as if to stop and help him but he yelled in protest "Keep going, I'll catch up!"

Silence hesitated for only a moment before obliging his request. As Finn stood back up he saw that Croft was rapidly gaining on him, and he was out for Finn's blood.

Finn grabbed the crystal staff off his back once again and raised it, prepared to fight to the death. His whole body was aching, but Finn ignored it. He had vowed that it would end today, and he was determined to end all of it.

Croft let out a battle cry as he closed the gap between the two of them. Croft swung his staff like a club at Finn's head; who was able to duck but was caught off guard when Croft attempted a kick at his stomach. Finn avoided the kick but stumbled as the ground began to shake underneath him.

Croft took advantage and shot a burst of energy which hit Finn and sent him flying backward. He rolled across the ground and came to a stop near the edge of the crumbling terra. Croft smiled _"A fitting end for our meddling worm."_

When Finn reopened his eyes the first thing he saw was the terra around him beginning to deteriorate, leaving a very thin gap between him and a deadly fall to the wastelands. The second thing he saw was a Firebolt Crystal being thrust in his face. "Game over" Finn heard Croft whisper.

Finn had seen his life flash before his eyes on a number of occasions in the past. It was almost a guarantee when you were part of a sky knight squadron. But this time when Finn was seeing flashes, he didn't see his past, he saw his present. The faces of his parents were replaced with the faces of his family. And it was Silence's face that burned brightest in his mind. It gave his throbbing body one last burst of strength.

And it was with that strength that Finn was able to sweep-kick Croft's legs out from under him. Finn shot up off the ground as the ground where he'd just been lying, crumbled and fell out of the sky. Causing a chain reaction which led to the ground beneath Croft's legs fell off of the terra as well.

And before Finn could get out of range, Croft had grabbed hold of Finn's ankle, tripping him in the process. "If my destiny ends to today. Then so does yours" Croft said, more and more of the terra crumbling beneath him as he did so. Until Finn was hanging on for not only his life, but Croft's as well.

Finn was exhausted every inch of muscle was sore and his bones felt like they would snap at any minute. He couldn't fight anymore; the last of his strength was gone. It took sheer willpower for him to hang on to the terra. But that wouldn't matter for much longer anyway, the terra was doomed to the wastelands and Finn couldn't stop it.

And before he knew it, the terra he'd been clutching, crumbled in his grasp and he was falling.

He'd never gotten used to the sensation of falling. Even with all the times he'd fallen from his skimmer over the years. Having such little control over his surroundings still frightened Finn. The sensation of Croft's grip of his ankle had disappeared however, which Finn was grateful for. If he was to die within a matter of moments, he'd rather it be without a psychopath clinging to his foot.

Finn's world was now silent flashes of sky and cloud. The top of the terra was no longer visible, and the wastelands were drawing nearer with every second. And so Finn closed his eyes and began to dream, dream of the life he had had with his friends and the countless more wonders that they would get to experience. He was happy that Silence had made it out. She deserved to experience life the way it was supposed to be lived, for fate had been extremely cruel to her for as long as she could remember.

Finn had given Silence her song back. And that was an accomplishment Finn felt was worth dying for.

So Finn let his mind go blank and he waited for the impact. But after only a moment Finn could hear a small sound that was only just audible. But it brought Finn back to reality.

His eyes fluttered open, he was still falling. He was below the cloud line now he could sense the hard ground of the wasteland below him. But there was something else that was in his view now. And whatever it was seemed to be calling his name.

As Finn's vision focused, he made out the shape of a skimmer. But as he looked harder he saw that it wasn't just any skimmer, it was Aerrow's Ultra that was before him.

Radarr was piloting the craft and Aerrow was standing on the sidecar, calling Finn's name and reaching for him with all his might. Finn shook more of the sleepy feeling from his mind and began reaching for his friend.

Aerrow caught him around the forearm and heaved him up onto his skimmer and helped him sit down behind Radarr.

When Finn was safely positioned on the vehicle Aerrow put a hand on his shoulder. Finn looked over and saw that his friend's eyes were wet. Finn smiled "Thank you" he said his voice a little shaky.

Aerrow nodded and returned Finn's smile with one of his own. "Let's go home." He said.

Finn chuckled "Home would be good."

After only a few minutes Finn, Aerrow, and Radarr safely landed in the skimmer bay and were greeted with a barrage of cheers from their fellow teammates.

Finn stepped gingerly from the skimmer, grateful to be standing on something solid again. But he was almost knocked off his feet when Silence ran and wrapped her arms around him. And before he could protest, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you for saving my life." She said as she buried her head in his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her, and after all they'd been through together, Finn never wanted to let her go.

When the crystal was destroyed, its hold over Silence had been broken. She was now free. Free of the nightmare she'd had to live through since she was just two years old. And now, she was surrounded by people who she considered her family. She didn't have to live in a cage anymore. The crystal was gone, the terra was gone, and the man that had called himself her 'brother' was halfway to hell by now. It was over.

It was true, their ordeal was over and they had all made it out with their lives. Their family would remain whole. It had been an experience that had altered them all, gave them an appreciation for all around them, and it gave them a new reason to fight until the war against Cyclonia was over for good. They had taken down one terra, but who knows how many other terras still remained unknown and under cyclonian control.

They stood together at the end of the skimmer bay, watching as the terra that had been their prison crumbled and disappeared beneath the cloud line. They waited until there was nothing but open sky before them. And even after, they stood together, each breathing their own sigh of relief that the events that had occurred had not had a tragic end.

The Storm Hawks would always be legendary protectors to the people of Atmos. They would be symbols of courage and hope to those who felt that fate was working against them. They would tell them that destiny is something that anyone can take into their own hands.

And it would all be because one day they had had to make an emergency landing on a strange terra. That turned out to be a prison for a girl who had had every odd stacked against her since birth, but still, she did not resign herself to a fate that she had no control over. She had fought.

And now she had a whole life ahead of her, and a family to live it with. Hers' will forever be a story that proves that the sky is never the limit.

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Author's Note: I can't believe that I was able to finish this. This story started off as a stupid idea I had one day when I was watching Storm Hawks episodes off of youtube, and I'm incredible amazed to look at it now see what it's become. Thank you all so much for your support because without it, this story wouldn't have gotten very far, and as always, I'd love to hear from you so don't be shy if you want to review. And don't forget to check in one last time for an epilogue in the near future. I'll see you guys soon :)

Peace&Love


	11. Epilogue

Author's Note- You would not believe how many times I had to re-write this chapter. I wanted to get it just right and I apologise for how long it's taken. I'd like to dedicate this epilogue to everyone who's stayed with me from the begining and given my such kind reviews that kept my spirits up and encouraged me to keep at it. Thank you thank you thank you. This story means a lot to me and it makes me so happy to hear that it has been enjoyed. So this one is for all of the readers, there wouldn't be a fanfiction without you =)

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EPILOGUE

In the weeks following their adventure on Terra Marks the Storm Hawks found themselves slowly reassuming their roles as heroes of the Atmos. Missions were assigned, lives were saved and Cyclonians were defeated, all was as it should be. Accompanied by some small but significant adaptations.

Within hours of Terra Marks's destruction Silence was presented with her own cabin aboard the Condor. It wasn't extravagant but Silence had immediately burst into tears upon its reveal, wrapping her arms tightly around Finn in a warm embrace.

"You brought me home," She had whispered just loud enough so only he could hear.

Finn had smiled with more gusto than he'd felt in months. "Sorry it took so long," He said back, wrapping his arms securely around her, pulling her in close.

He had freed a beautiful songbird from the cold hands of her Cyclonian cage and Finn was now looking forward to all the years that they would be together, construction their perfect song piece by piece.

However, not all was well even after the terra had crumbled. Not more than a few moments after the last traces of rock had disappeared below the cloud line, Piper had collapsed to the floor of the skimmer bay, Aerrow catching her before the impact could inflict more damage. Her face had gone as pale as an apparition and her pulse was faint. With Finn and Junko's aide, Aerrow brought her to the infirmary where he remained until Stork had brought them within range of Atmosia. Piper had drifted in and out of consciousness and all the while Aerrow never left her side, lightly grasping her hand in both of his and planting gentle kisses upon it whenever the pain from her wounds flared.

Once they had been close enough, Aerrow took Piper on his skimmer and went on ahead to the hospital. She had needed a minor surgery to check for any more internal injuries. Luckily they had been correct in their initial assessment and Piper had suffered only two broken ribs. The doctor had told the team that she would make a full recovery and would primarily just need time to rest and recover.

Upon receiving this news Aerrow had crumpled with relief into one of the sofas in the small waiting room. Finn had gone over and placed a comforting hand on the sky knight's shoulder when his body began to tremble in his seat.

"I can't keep doing this Finn," he said "I almost lost her again." Tears ran from the emerald eyes that were usually so focused and strong. He'd had his heart torn from his chest and sewn back in all in one day. From the moment he'd felt her blood splash across his face, Aerrow had vowed that if Piper came out alive, he was going to tell her that he loved her.

He knew that there was always a chance that what he felt for her was not mutual but the thought of the life they could share if it was, was certainly worth the risk. So the moment the nurse arrived to tell them that Piper was awake and could see one visitor at a time, Aerrow jumped from his seat to follow the nurse back to the rooms.

Finn had watched his friend disappear behind to double doors before leaning back in his own seat, hands folded behind his head and a smile brightly painted across his lips.

Took him long enough," He said to the others who each smiled back. Radarr gave a quick chirp in agreement before settling himself back into Silence's lap.

By the time Aerrow had returned, the remainder of his team had each fallen into a peaceful slumber. Junko was slumped back into his large armchair with his feet resting on the coffee table. Stork had fallen asleep with his back propped against a wall by an elegant hearth; a bottle labeled with a skull and crossbones was clutched in his vice-like grip. Finn and Silence had taken the large sofa and the pair were huddled lovingly together, Finn's arm wrapped around her delicate shoulders and her head resting in the crook of his neck.

Aerrow decided not to wake them, Piper was stable and they all could use the rest. The sky knight couldn't have been prouder of his team, his family. They'd made it though yet another perilous adventure, admittedly bumped and bruised but all in one piece.

His glance drifted to the sharpshooter on the couch with the girl he'd been so desperate to protect, cradled safely in his arms. Aerrow could still see the hyperactive blonde troublemaker he'd met as a child but there was more now. As if Finn had found his reason to grow, he would always be a hero and now he had saved himself as well.

It wasn't until early the next morning that the rest of the team awoke to the bright morning lights of Atmosia. When the nurse returned they each took their respective turns visiting Piper.

"So…?" Finn asked Aerrow slyly when Silence had left to take her visit. "How'd it go last night?"

Aerrow's face had lit up like a small child's at Christmas. "I told her," he said with pride and a small amount of embarrassment.

Finn clapped his friend hard on the back and gave a wide, toothy grin. "And the great sky knight has finally swallowed his pride! Nice going Aerrow," he said "And without a doubt our dear crystal specialist feels the same?" he asked.

Aerrow beamed back at his friend and silently nodded.

A great yell of triumph consumed the sharpshooter, loud enough to make a few of the nurses scowl in disapproval. But Finn couldn't care less. His two best friends were happy and in love after finally admitting it to each other. For all he cared, the nurses could shove it.

Aerrow laughed before sending an apologetic look in the direction of the nurses.

The next few weeks were some of the best in Finn's memory. Aerrow had gone to the sky knight counsel and filed a report on Terra Marks, the entire board had been shocked that such a large act of conspiracy had existed for so long right under their noses. Some of them even recalled visiting the terra over the years. A recovery team was put together immediately to salvage any remains of the terra and its occupants.

Finn, Aerrow, Junko, Stork and Radarr all went along with the party to attempt retrieval of any of their personal belongings. Needless to say, the wastelands hadn't been kind in its treatment of the Storm Hawks's personal effects. Very little was deemed salvageable among the masses of charred and molten rock. Finn had found the remnants of his guitar scorched to hell but ironically he discovered its case lying virtually unharmed several feet away. He had been so baffled Finn had kicked the case into the burning magma and watched as it melted out of existence.

To the other's dismay, Junko and Stork had both exposed the vast majorities of their personal libraries unharmed by the fires. Junko's Wallopian cookbooks and Stork's guides to the deadliest creatures in the Atmos were found in nearly perfect condition.

Piper, who had remained in Atmosia under strict orders of bed rest, had requested Aerrow to search for her crystal research notes. Unfortunately he'd found no trace of the papers other than ash. However, when examining a large pile of rubble, Aerrow had let out a shout of triumph and retracted his arm to reveal a glowing violet object clenched in his fist.

Upon Junko's inquiry as to what the object was, Aerrow only replied with "You'll see," and after a few more hours of searching and cataloging, the boys returned to Atmosia with a considerably lighter load than they'd been expecting.

Silence had remained in Atmosia as well and during the guy's absence, she and Piper grew exceedingly close. Silence had sat at Piper's bedside while the navigator recounted every tale she could think of classifying the many adventures of the squadron. Silence had listen in awe to the stories of far away terras, daring battles, terrifying monsters and she had even giggled when Piper recounted the many instances when Finn had been ejected from his skimmer.

Piper had been just as enthralled listening to what Silence had learned about crystals over her years observing. She said that even under the power of the Stifle Crystal, she had still had the ability to take in and retain information. And there had been no shortage of information among the confines of the Cyclonian compound. Silence had even told her that the residence often mentioned 'the infamous Storm Hawks" and the threat they posed to the success of the Migration. Piper was thrilled to hear of her teams' notoriety and made it a point to have Silence tell the other when they returned.

However, their arrival came with the disheartening news of Piper's crystal research. Aerrow walked to her side and tenderly kissed her forehead before giving her the bad news. Almost instantly tears came to her eyes and her face fell. Aerrow turned to the team and politely asked if they could have some time alone.

The squad had all obliged, vacating the room in the direction of the cafeteria. All except Finn, who'd purposely, left the door slightly ajar on his way out so the room was still visible to him. He quickly ran after the others and plucked Silence by her wrist and pulled her back toward the door.

"Finn, what are you doing? We should give them privacy, Piper seemed really upset." Silence whispered in protest.

"If I'm right, she won't be for long," he said "and trust me, you are gonna want to see this." He towed her over so she could see through the gap in the door as well.

"But Finn I-"

"Shhh," Finn interrupted, pressing a finger to his lips then pointing to the door "just watch," he said confidently.

Silence's curiosity got the better of her and she crouched on the floor to get a better view.

Back inside of the room, Piper was trying her best not to let her emotions overwhelm her. Her work had always been very important to her, but what mattered more was that they'd all made it through this ordeal safely. Never the less, she was having a difficult time chocking back sobs thinking about the memories and effort that had been lost in the fires of the wastelands.

Aerrow stood patiently by her side, lovingly stroking her midnight blue hair and rubbing her back as she began to hiccup away the tears.

When she seemed calm enough Aerrow dipped his head down and tipped hers up with a hand under her chin. He kissed her with all the love he felt in his heart, wishing that he could bare her pain in her place. He felt as a few fresh tears ran down her cheeks but he brushed them away with his thumb.

Aerrow pulled away first and rested his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into the beautiful amber eyes that made his heart melt. "It's going to be okay," he cooed.

Piper nodded slightly "I know," she said "I still have my sky knight." She smiled up at him.

He returned the smile and quickly gave her another peck on the lips before standing back up. Walking over to the chair and the other side of the room Aerrow scooped up his satchel he'd dropped on the way in. He stole a glance back at Piper and saw her attention had drifted to a novel that now lay open on her lap. Aerrow smirked and swiftly dipped his hand into the bag.

"Hey," he said over his shoulder at her.

"Hmm?" She asked back, her eyes still fixed upon the page.

The sky knight retreated back to his place beside her, his left hand folded out of sight behind his back. Standing there for a moment, he waited until her attention was once again on him, before smiling warmly down at the woman he loved and retracting his hand from behind his back.

"I grabbed something for you on the way out."

Piper brought her hands to her mount to try to drown out the sound of the gasp that burst from her lips but she had little success. For in the palm of Aerrow's hand, glowing with a faint light of dormancy was the Oracle Crystal. Tears once again began to run down her face.

"Aerrow, I can't believe you found it." She said from behind her fingers. After another moment she reached out with a slightly trembling hand to take the crystal from him.

However, just before Piper's fingers could touch the violet surface of the crystal, Aerrow pulled it back out of her reach and captured her outstretched hand in his free one. Their eyes locked, Aerrow's full of focus and determination while Piper's were curious and questioning.

"Piper, I told you that I've been falling in love with you ever since we were kids and I meant that." He said, grasping her hand a little tighter. "What happened on Terra Marks showed me just how much loosing you would destroy me." He glanced over to the machine that was monitoring Piper's heart rate. "You are my life Piper, and you're the only one I can imagine spending the rest of it with."

With that he released her hand and brought the Oracle Crystal back around so her hand was resting on top of it and his held it from below. Aerrow carefully slid his left leg back and descended down onto one knee.

"Piper, would you marry me?"

Finn and Silence were still standing, transfixed, at the door, their heads pressed together so they could see. Silence was firmly gripping Finn's wrist in anticipation.

Piper sat stunned and speechless for only an instant before she yanked Aerrow by the collar and their lips came together yet again. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." She said between breaths.

Outside, Finn was ecstatic and had crossed his arms confidently across his chest. "Told you you'd wanna see it,"

Silence grinned, her eyes glazed with a layer of moisture. Finn brushed away a stray tear and kissed the same spot on her cheek.

"Come on," he said taking her fragile hand once again "let's leave the lovebirds and get some breakfast."

Days past in joyful bliss as things in the Atmos returned to a state of normalcy for the young heroes. That is, until a letter arrived addressed to the Storm Hawks that contained an unexpected blast from the not so distant past. And it was the request contained within the message that solidified the weight that had been lifted from one Storm Hawk's heart.

So now, here Finn sat, four weeks after receiving the letter, in a place that had haunted his nightmare not so very long ago.

It was mid summer now and the warm caress of the breeze on Finn's skin was pleasant and comforting. He glanced around the small, battle-scarred terra. The severity of the wounds seemed dull in the wake of such an occasion. It made him glad to muse over such a gratifying thought, because all too often the marks left by Cyclonis's war were far too terrible to overlook by any fraction. So to feel this rare sense of security was as significant as any gift that had ever been given.

Finn looked to his left and felt his face grow warm at the sight of Silence sitting beside him. Looking like an angel wearing a long ice blue gown, her silvery hair loose and dancing faintly around her beautiful face.

All of a sudden Finn became unusually aware of his heart beating like a drum in his chest. Since Silence had joined the team aboard the Condor, Finn had felt his feelings for Silence cement and begin to branch off into new regions that he was not entirely familiar with.

He had felt something between them the first time he'd seen her in the diner but now, there was something different, something more.

Just then a band began to play a slow, sweet melody, jolting Finn from his thoughts and causing him to physically jerk in his seat. A small hand wrapped around his concernedly.

"Nervous?" A voice asked from his left. A voice that made his mouth run dry and made the slight warmth of the July morning feel uncomfortably hot in his tux.

He gave her hand a little squeeze in return. "Not anymore,"

Silence smiled, then her eyes caught sight of a figure immerging from the diminutive house behind them.

A woman in a billowing ivory dress was a vision standing before the crowd of spellbound onlookers. Clutching in one hand a bouquet of snow white lilies and in the other was the hand of a kindly aging man who stood nearly two heads shorter than her.

Finn felt truly astonished in that moment, not because of his feelings for the woman in white, but rather, the lack of them. For standing before his eyes was the very woman to whom Finn had first surrendered his heart. And he was watching as she was preparing to pledge her devotion to another man.

Two months ago he'd been dreaming of standing opposite her on this very aisle and giving her his vow beneath the flower adorned altar. But now, watching as his first love became the bride that wasn't his, Finn didn't feel the sharp pain of a breaking heart. In fact, there was no pain at all. As if the heart he had once given away had now been returned to him in its entirety.

The day belonged fully to Dove, and Finn no longer had any doubt or felt any regrets that it couldn't have been their day to share.

After a momentary pause, Wren began to guide his daughter down the aisle and toward the man who she would soon call her husband.

As Dove proceeded towards the brilliantly ornate alter, the crowd rose from their seats to watch as she passed by. Finn and Silence stood along with them, their fingers still laced together.

Dove caught sight of the pair and flashed a nervous smile their way, which the two returned gladly. Pure smiles exchanged between good friends as they continued down their separate paths.

A small chuckle escaped as Finn noticed something that reminded him just how fast life had been perusing him lately. From this angle, Finn had a now perfect view of Dove's swollen belly, just beginning to show beneath the fabric of her gown.

"Damn," Finn laughed in his head. "Last time I checked we were all still fourteen."

The rest of the procession followed Dove, including Piper who was carrying the train of Dove's gown as her maid of honor. The two girls had kept in contact over the years and always got along perfectly well.

Piper had been discharged from the hospital two weeks prior and had been exceptionally eager when Dove had asked her to be in the wedding party. She looked radiant in her deep blue bridesmaid dress, her face absolutely glowing with pride.

The sunlight shown down and caught in a brilliant lavender stone that was resting on the third finger of Piper's left hand.

Aerrow had taken a fragment of the Oracle Crystal and had it set into a stunning silver band that he presented to her one of the last days she'd been in the hospital. She'd leapt from her bed and into her leader's arms so fast, she accidently disconnected her heart and blood pressure monitors which alerted the nurses who'd arrived to give them both a stern scolding.

When the navigator passed by, Finn caught her eye and flashed a cheeky smirk, to which she replied by sticking out her tongue at him before giggling and re-adjusting the path of Dove's train.

As the band struck the final cord of the march, the last of the procession arrived at the altar. The ceremony went on just as planned; Dove and Dent presented their vows to each other, were presented with their wedding bands, and pronounced husband and wife to the great applause of their friends and family.

The new couple retreated back up the aisle and began making their way to a large marquee that was set up on the opposite end of Terra Gale to house the reception. Both Dove and Dent wore looks of pure jubilation, their faces flush with happiness and embarrassment.

The reception party continued on all through the day, there was music, dancing, toasting, cake cutting, bouquet tossing, and honest, true celebration.

It wasn't often that the Atmos had reason to celebrate these days. But the small summer wedding on Terra Gale reminded everyone in attendance that there is still hope.

And whether it was a new couple awaiting the birth of their first child, a father who'd just given away his only daughter, two best friends who'd found love within each other, a young sharpshooter who'd grown into a man, or a songbird who finally had reason to sing. There was hope and promise in the air that day.

Finn stared down at the girl he held intimately in his arms. Her eyes were closed as they swayed in time with the music, her head resting contentedly on his shoulder.

In that moment, a thought passed through his mind for the first time "I think I love her," he heard his own voice say in his mind. Once before, a thought very similar had entered Finn's head, only this time it was not accompanied by fear and doubt. Just the simple pleasure of certainty was present within him.

Perhaps he had not realized before because all Finn had seen was a prisoner of Cyclonis's war. But now, he could see more of the person beneath all the hurt. Silence was real, she could speak, she could laugh, and she could tell Finn stories just as he could tell them to her. Not a moment went by when he tired of her company, she was unique. Not just because of her powers of manipulation (which continued to grow stronger with each passing day) but because of her strength and desire on a human level. And it pleased Finn to see that she a playfully coy sense of humor as well.

And who knew, given a year's time or so, Silence could be wearing the Storm Hawks crest as she fought Cyclonians alongside Finn. That is the beauty of the unknown, the possibilities are infinite. Time moved so quickly that anything could happen within the blink of an eye. Without a doubt there were more changes on the horizon, another wedding was already guarantied and who could discern whatever else.

Finn's mind gave a tremendous sigh. He'd been dealing with far more than his usual dose of philosophy recently, and his brain was starting to run out of fuel.

But for now, the world made sense and that was more than enough to keep the Storm Hawks in good spirits. Heroes may seem steadfast and strong but beneath the bravery there beats a heart like any other. Time was not altered for any man; the winds of change were constantly gusting through the Atmos. Arriving with a presentation of chance to those who find themselves captured by its intoxicating current.

* * *

Author's Note- I hope you have enjoyed "Nightmares of a Songbird" my very first fanfiction and now my first finished piece. Also, check out my account on FictionPress, my account name is still LobsterMobster95. I love reviews so please don't be shy. Once again, thank you for reading and keep on the look out for any more of my stuff in the future.

Peace&Love


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